A file photo of security operatives at a during unit during the governorship election in Osun State in September 2018.
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has rated the conduct of Police Officers who were on election duties during Saturday’s Governorship election in Osun State as largely satisfactory.
This was contained in the interim report of the Commission, which monitored the conduct of the more than 18,000 police personnel deployed across the 30 local government areas of the state.
The Police Service Commission carried out the assignment in partnership with CLEEN Foundation and Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, PLAC.
According to a statement by the Head of Press and Public Relations at the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, the reports from the Commission’s monitors indicate that “outside few isolated incidents, the conduct of the Police was impressive”.
“The few isolated incidents included cases where the Police Officers were overwhelmed and ballot boxes snatched, inducements and inability to stop discreet vote buying,” it added.
Saturday’s election took place across some 3,010 polling units with 48 candidates battling to succeed Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The election got off to a smooth start and the PSC believes that the police played their part in ensuring the process was peaceful.
It, therefore, commended the mobilisation and deployment of police officers and the maintenance of peace and order at the polling units.
“The Police Officers were also polite, approachable and largely adhered to the guidelines for election duties,” it said.
Giving a breakdown of how those deployed were utilised, the PSC said, “There was an average of four Police Officers per a polling unit, complemented by men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps; Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Prison Services, Federal Road Safety Corps and Department of State Security.”
The also listed some of the polling units monitored across the 30 Local Government Areas in the three Senatorial districts of the state.
Osun Central Senatorial District: Owode Market polling unit in ward 5, Railway Station, Ward 10 in Odo-Otin; Olorun-Osogo Obagun, Ward 11, Adeyemu Market in Ifelodun Local Government Area; Palace area, ward 2, old maternity, ward 5 in Boluwaduro Local Government Area; Old Post Office, ward 11 in Boripe Local Government Area; Kobo Ogbogbe, ward 8 in Olorunda Local Government Area.
Osun West Senatorial District: Songbe Market Square 007A and 007B in Ejigbo Local Government Area; Water Works Road 005, Aladoorun 003, Elewe 007, Panada 006, Water Works First Gate 006 in Iwo Local Government Area; Court Hall 1 Ogba 002 and 003, Commercial Grammar School Ogbagba II, 001 and 002 in Ola-Oluwa Local Government Area; Baptist Primary School Awo 001, Town Hall Awo 002 in Egbedure Local Government Area; Onuolu Junction 008 in Ede South Local Government Area; Ebelemo 001, Camp Young Area 005 and Open Space 009 in Ede North Local Government Area.
Osun East Senatorial District: Oriade Local Government Area, Ilesha West Local Government Area, Ife Central, Ife East Local Government Areas, Obokun Local Government Area and Ibokun Local Government Area.
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