The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressive Congress (APC), and 10 other political parties will, on Saturday, slug it out in an epic battle for Osun West Senatorial District.
The seat became vacant on April 23, 2017, when Senator Isiaka Adeleke representing the senatorial district died, thus compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fix Saturday, July 8, for the bye-election.
Investigation conducted by Tribune Online indicated that though there was tension, but security agencies seem to have perfected strategies to ensure a hitch free election.
Two major contestants in the senatorial race, including the candidate of the APC, Senator Mudashiru Hussain and his PDP counterpart, Mr Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke rounded off their electioneering campaigns on Thursday criss-crossing all the 10 communities that make up Osun West Senatorial District.
When Tribune Online monitored the situation in Ede, Egbedore and Ejigbo, security agents deployed for the exercise were seen moving in chartered commercial buses into some of the communities ahead Saturday’s poll.
About 12 mini buses were spotted conveying anti-riot policemen into Ede, which is the hometown of the PDP senatorial candidate, Ademola Adeleke.
Meanwhile, on Thursday sensitive and non sensitive materials required for the election were seen being moved in about 10 Toyota Hilux vans to designated polling centres, within Osun West.
However, Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fimihan Adeoye, while addressing all security agents deployed for the election at Police command, in Osogbo warned them not to infringe on the rights of people during the exercise.
He also placed a ban on hunting expedition, local security guards and other non governmental security agencies from carrying out any activity throughout the Osun West Senatorial District where the bye-election will hold.
The security agents deployed are: the policemen, operatives of the Department of State Services; Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency; Nigeria Immigration Service and among others.
According to Adeoye, “movement will be restricted in the 10 local government areas where election will be conducted. The restriction of movement will start from 6.00am and it will end by 6.00pm. But the Ibadan-Ife- Akure Expressway will be opened, and we will not allow anybody to veer off the expressway to Gbongan and other towns and local government where elections will hold.
“Nobody should be seen with arms. No hunting of animals on the day and we don’t want anybody to tell us that he was going to the bush to hunt and carry guns. Nobody must even carry knife or cutlass on the day. Anybody caught with arms will be treated as an armed robber.”
While cautioning the security agents to be neutral and warned them against rivalry which he said could jeopardize the success of their operations, Adeoye asserted, “our job is to ensure adequate security of lives and properties. The people who we are policing should not be intimidated because our work is to protect them from harassment and intimidation, so we must not intimidate them.
“We should not only be neutral but we must be seen to be neutral. We do not belong to any political party and we don’t have a favorite among the contestants . There should be no rivalry among you because we are all going on the same mission. I am sure most of you have friends across the agencies you work for,” the police boss said.
When asked to give actual number of security personnel deployed for the polls, Adeoye declined, saying “I have told you our media men repeatedly that I cannot disclose the number of security personnel. It is not the number that matters, but our commitment to ultimately ensure successful conduct of the poll by providing adequate and effective security for everybody.”
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