Hashim Abioye, Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), has accused the police of arresting the commission’s staff without any apparent justification. In addition to the arrest, he said the OSSIEC headquarters in Osogbo has been sealed off by the police.
Abioye, who made this known in a video in circulation expressed dissatisfaction with the action of the police stating that the police actions are in direct conflict with the principles of free and fair elections.
He said accreditation materials could not be provided early in some areas as a result of this development.
According to him, “So far so good, the reports have been positive, the conduct has been very smooth and peaceful, as against the false alarm raised by the Police, everywhere is calm, the only thing is some of the areas where materials are supposed to have arrived for voters to cast their vote, we have a report of Police arresting our officials, I don’t know on whose order warranted the arrest of our officials.
“I want to assure our people that for those who are still awaiting the arrival of our electoral officials, I want to tell them that it was because the Police arrested some of our officials for committing no crime at all against no lawful order of any court, but as it is we have deployed materials to those polling units because we have enough on the ground, as I am talking to you voting is ongoing in those places.
“For the people in the media community, I want to apologize for the inadequacy in the tags and jacket, because we have enough but Police sealed off our office and that was unwarranted at all, all these we will sort out at the end of the day, generally the exercise has been very peaceful, free and fair and we thank God for that.”
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