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Security has been heightened at the Independent National Electoral Commission office along the Gbongan-Ibadan Road in Osogbo, Osun State, ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
A large presence of security personnel, including officers of the Nigeria Police Force, was at the INEC premises on Friday.
The increased security presence comes as preparations intensify for deploying personnel and materials across the state’s 30 local government areas.
Other election stakeholders, including civil society organisations, journalists and election observers, were also seen at the commission’s office.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, Oluwatoyin Babalola, is reportedly meeting with National Commissioners and supporting Resident Electoral Commissioners from other states as final arrangements for the election are concluded.
The election will be conducted in 3,763 polling units across 332 wards in the state’s 30 local government areas.
Over 1.9Million PVCs Collected
INEC had on Thursday disclosed that more than 1.9 million Permanent Voter Cards had been collected ahead of the election. The commission
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the figure represented 81.50 per cent of the state’s total registered voters. According to Haruna, Osun has 2,339,233 registered voters, of whom 1,906,390 PVCs have been collected, while the remaining 426,842 PVCs, representing 18.50 per cent, have been safely deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria in line with the commission’s established practice.
The commission also clarified that some registered voters with damaged, defaced or lost PVCs had applied for replacements, adding that 6,101 applicants printed downloadable copies of their PVCs after applying for replacements.
With the election scheduled for Saturday, security agencies and election officials are continuing final preparations to ensure the exercise is conducted peacefully across the state.
