Photos: Osun First Lady leads protest over alleged voter intimidation
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Osun State First Lady, Mrs. Titilola Adeleke, led a protest to the state police command demanding a credible governorship election.
- She alleged voter intimidation and the targeting of Accord Party leaders by opposition elements.
- The First Lady also cited the alleged degrading treatment of the Commissioner for Environment while in police custody.
Osun State First Lady, Mrs. Titilola Adeleke, led a group of women to the state police command headquarters in Osogbo to protest alleged voter intimidation. The demonstration, which proceeded from Lameco through the West Bypass, aimed to secure a credible governorship election scheduled for August 15.
From what we heard, we learnt that they will start picking our leaders up this week. Last Friday, they picked up the Commissioner for Environment. He was brought here, stripped naked. This is not good enough. They should leave our people alone.
Accompanied by the Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Mrs. Ayobola Awolowo, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Market Affairs, Mrs. Eniola Omotoso, Adeleke submitted a petition to the Police Commissioner overseeing election duties, CP Samuel Etaifo. She voiced concerns over the safety of Accord Party leaders, alleging they were being targeted for arrest by opposition groups. Adeleke also condemned the reported mistreatment of the Commissioner for Environment, stating he was "stripped naked" while in police custody.
If you notice, since I came, we have relative peace in the state. But the problem we have is that we cannot continue to tolerate what you have done today because it will not contribute to peace; it will cause tension again.
CP Etaifo assured the protesters that the police would ensure a peaceful election environment. He acknowledged the improved security situation in the state since his deployment but cautioned against actions that could escalate tension. "If you notice, since I came, we have relative peace in the state. But the problem we have is that we cannot continue to tolerate what you have done today because it will not contribute to peace; it will cause tension again," Etaifo remarked.
I have the mandate of the Inspector-General of Police to come to the state and stabilise things, give an enabling environment for every political actor to exercise their franchise, to create public confidence for everyone to come out to vote on election day.
The Police Commissioner stated his mandate from the Inspector-General of Police is to stabilize the state and create an enabling environment for all political actors. He promised to review the protesters' demands and restrategize to address the issues raised, assuring them that the command would attend to all their demands.
We are going to go back and restrategise to attend to all your demands.
Originally published by Vanguard. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.