Police Lock Down OSSIEC Headquarters as Osun LG Elections Get Underway

The Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Hashim Abioye, has accused the Nigeria Police Force of arresting its staff on election duty and sealing its headquarters.

In a statement on Saturday, Abioye said the Police had sealed off the OSSIEC head office where election materials were kept. He said this was the reason some polling units did not get the voting materials early.

He said, “Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested staff of the commission who are on election duty across the state.

“For the units where material didn’t arrive early, it was due to Police arrest of the officials conveying the materials. However, new materials have been deployed, and voting is now ongoing.”

The Osun local government elections are controversial given the fact that the state government was advised by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi not to hold them. Fagbemi had said a Court of Appeal judgement implied that the elections had to be suspended.

Similarly, the Nigeria Police Force had also cited security concerns and the Appeal Court judgement as the reasons the election must not hold.

But Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, had claimed that there was no court order forbidding the elections from holding.