Osun poll: INEC maps flashpoints, steps up security deployment

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is taking proactive measures to ensure a secure and fair governorship election in Osun State. Victoria Eta-Messi, INEC's Director for Voter Education and Publicity, revealed that the commission, in collaboration with security agencies, has intensified voter security at polling units and identified potential flashpoints.

“

Osun is tense. I don’t think it’s what citizens were expecting. There is a lot of desperation in the land. With regards to the vote trading, INEC is doing a lot, and we’re not resting on our oars. We’re engaging.

Eta-Messi acknowledged the tense pre-election atmosphere and the desperation evident in the state. She stated that INEC is actively working to curb vote trading and has issued severe warnings against voter card theft. During a recent readiness visit, the INEC Chairman engaged with traditional rulers, urging them to speak to their subjects about the importance of clean elections. Efforts are also being made to involve mothers in encouraging their children, as youth are often involved in or fall victim to vote trading.

“

The volatile or vulnerable areas, as I mentioned earlier, have already been mapped, and there will be more security deployed to those areas. There are potential flashpoints, and so the commission is aware of that.

"The volatile or vulnerable areas, as I mentioned earlier, have already been mapped, and there will be more security deployed to those areas," Eta-Messi said. She confirmed that potential flashpoints have been identified, and the commission has developed a plan with the security architecture to ensure adequate deployment. The military is on standby to provide support in areas where violence might erupt. Plans are in place to protect lives and property in these mapped areas, ensuring voters feel safe to participate.

“

Basically, plans have been put in place to protect people in those areas which have been mapped out to ensure that their lives and properties of the commission are safe, and that people feel safe to come out to vote.

INEC commended the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) and other security agencies for their collaborative efforts. While INEC cannot make arrests, as that is the role of the police, the commission is focused on creating a secure environment. Security operatives will be deployed to safeguard voters in areas identified as having a potential risk of violence, ensuring that people can exercise their right to vote without fear.

“

You mentioned earlier that INEC is not the police, and that is true. We cannot arrest.