INEC Identifies 385 Flash Points, 200 Difficult Terrains Ahead of Osun Guber Poll

• Adeleke urges voters to reject monetary inducements for voter card 

•Aide alleges N12bn claim is false 

•Oyebamiji to Traders: You’ll be key part of my govt if elected

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, has disclosed that the commission has identified 385 flashpoints across the state and shared the information with security agencies as part of preparations for the forthcoming governorship election .

Babalola said the commission also mapped about 200 difficult terrains to assist security agencies and election officials in planning their operations, noting that several communities in the state remained inaccessible due to poor road conditions.

She explained that INEC had intensified its preparedness by conducting risk management training for its personnel, stressing that the commission was currently operating within what she described as the “amber zone” of the electoral body

According to her, field officers will be deployed across the 13 local government areas participating in the election to conduct on-the-ground risk assessments and monitor the security situation.

The REC added that the commission has been equipping its staff with the knowledge and skills needed to manage risks and remain calm while carrying out their duties during the election.

Babalola revealed that she had personally visited 29 of the state’s 30 local government areas, including Ila and Ifedayo, where incidents of kidnapping and other violent crimes have raised security concerns.

She, however, clarified that while she would not describe the situation in those areas as banditry, there were significant security challenges that required close attention.

Adeleke  to Voters: Reject Monetary Inducements for Your Voters Cards

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has raised the alarm over an alleged ongoing coordinated, illegal operation by the Osun APC to buy up voters’ cards and extract the pin numbers to disenfranchise voters on August 15.

In a statement, the governor warned against what he called illegal and anti-democratic activities that were targeted at compromising the voters registers, electronically disenfranchising voters and manipulating the outcome of August 15 polls, calling the attention of the electoral commission to the untoward development.

 Citing multiple reports from across the 30 local governments and Area Office, the governor accused the Osun APC and its agents of monetarily inducing the public to part with their voters’ cards with intent to disenfranchise such voters and warned members of the public to protect and never part with their voters cards.

The state governor noted further that APC agents were extracting the pin numbers on the voters cards by offering monetary rewards and warned that the operation was targeting local governments with huge followership of the Accord Party.

In another development, Spokesperson to the governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, has condemned as false, reckless and deliberately misleading, claims made by House of Representatives member, Hon. Emmanuel Omirin, alleging that he facilitated the payment of N12 billion by the federal government to Governor Adeleke.

Rasheed described the allegation as a baseless fabrication that raised more questions than answers.

He challenged Omirin to state clearly, with credible evidence, what the alleged N12 billion was meant for, in what official capacity he claimed to have facilitated it, and under what legal or constitutional authority such a transaction occurred.

 “Making sensational claims without evidence may serve political propaganda, but it does not constitute truth. Public discourse should be guided by facts, responsibility and respect for the intelligence of the people” he stated.

You’ll Be Key Part of My Govt If Elected, Oyebamiji Promises Osun Traders

Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, Bola Oyebamiji, yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, assured traders at Sabo market of good governance should he be elected governor.

Oyebamiji told the market men and women who trooped out to endorse him ahead of the gubernatorial contest at Sabo market in Osogbo, that they would be part of his government.

He vowed to deliver good governance to enhance trade and commerce in the state, adding that his administration, once given the mandate, would provide insurance scheme to the traders.

Oyebamiji, a former Commissioner for Finance in the state, donated the sum of N10 million to the traders, telling them that he had discussed with the market leaders and that their needs have been noted.

The APC candidate pledged to make soft loans available to the market women and men, assuring them that their development and that of the market place is paramount to his bid to govern Osun.