The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) has accused operatives of the Nigeria Police Force of arresting its officials and sealing off its headquarters amid the ongoing local government elections across the state.
The chairman of the commission, Hashim Abioye, raised alarm over the development in an official statement released on OSSIEC’s verified X (formerly Twitter) page on Saturday.
He claimed that law enforcement officers disrupted election proceedings by detaining OSSIEC staff deployed for election duties and obstructing the distribution of essential electoral materials.
Abioye expressed concern over the inability of OSSIEC to provide accreditation materials for journalists covering the election. According to him, the police action directly impacted the timely deployment of election materials, leading to delays in several polling units.
“For the units where materials did not arrive on time, it was due to the police arrest of officials conveying the materials. However, new materials have been deployed, and voting is now ongoing,” he stated.
While acknowledging the challenges, the chairman commended the electorate for their resilience in coming out to exercise their democratic rights. However, the incident has sparked widespread concern about the credibility of the election and the role of security agencies in the process.
The police intervention has fueled political tensions, with stakeholders questioning the motive behind the arrests and the decision to seal OSSIEC’s headquarters. While the police are yet to officially comment on the incident, opposition parties and civil society organizations have begun demanding explanations for what they describe as an undue interference in the electoral process.
