Osun poll: CSO urges residents to protect votes, prevent intimidation

Some hours before the governorship election in Osun State, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called on residents of the state to go out and exercise their civic responsibility.

The group also urged residents not to allow politicians to prevent them from voting on election day.

The convener of the group, Mr Yinusa Ya’u, made the call on Friday while addressing journalists in Osogbo, the state capital.

He said, “The rights of voters must be protected. Every eligible voter in Osun State has a constitutional right to participate freely in the election without intimidation, harassment or violence.

“Security agencies must ensure that voters can travel to polling units, vote and return home safely. Particular attention should be given to women, persons with disabilities, older persons and other groups that may be disproportionately affected by insecurity.

“The Situation Room calls on the citizens of Osun State not to allow political actors, thugs or purveyors of disinformation to deprive them of their democratic rights.

“Voters should reject violence, avoid confrontation at polling units, verify information before sharing it and report threats or incidents through appropriate channels.

“The people of Osun State have a responsibility to protect the peace of their communities, but this responsibility cannot substitute for the primary duty of the state to protect citizens and secure the electoral process.”

Ya’u said the Situation Room was deeply concerned about the heightened and tense political environment that had preceded the election, saying the group had followed “with concern the reports of politically motivated violence, clashes involving political actors and supporters, attacks and intimidation, tensions surrounding motor parks and transport unions, allegations of political thuggery, deaths and arrests of political actors, and the increasingly hostile rhetoric among political parties and their supporters.”

He added, “These developments are particularly troubling given the identification of 385 election flashpoints across Osun State by the Independent National Electoral Commission as well as the identification of 13 Local Government Areas out of the 30 LGAs as critical and high violence-risk areas by Situation Room partners, Kimpact Development Initiative and CLEEN Foundation.”

He appealed to security agencies to be vigilant and apprehend offenders involved in vote-buying, “not necessarily wait for election officials to point them out.”