Osun Election: Police deploy four officers per polling unit — IGP
….Names of senior officers to be withheld until election day
…IGP assures voters of adequate protection, warns politicians against violence
By Kingsley Omonobi
Ahead of the Osun State governorship election, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has announced the deployment of a minimum of four police officers to each of the over 3,000 polling units across the state to ensure a safe and credible electoral process.
Disu disclosed this during a stakeholder engagement with civil society organisations on election security, where he assured residents of adequate police protection before, during and after the election.
The IGP, however, raised concerns over alleged attempts by some politicians to identify senior police officers assigned to specific local government areas ahead of the election.
He said although he had approved the deployment list comprising Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs), Commissioners of Police (CPs) and other senior officers, the details would not be released until the election day.
“We have noticed politicians making frantic efforts to identify the senior officers that will be deployed to each local government area for reasons best known to them. Even though I have approved the list of senior officers to be deployed, it will not be released until the day of the election to ensure a free, fair and credible exercise,” Disu said.
The police chief urged residents of Osun State to come out en masse to vote, assuring them that the Nigeria Police Force had put in place a robust security arrangement to protect voters, electoral officials and other stakeholders.
The assurance came amid concerns over political violence in parts of the state, with civil society groups identifying 13 local government areas as high-risk areas and linking about 34 fatalities to violence as of June.
Disu said the police were aware of security challenges in the state, including cult-related activities, which he said had been exploited by some political actors.
“We have issues of cultism in Osun already. It became easier for different parties to attack each other using the existing animosity in the state,” he said.
He explained that the police had intervened when violence escalated, leading to the decision for the Commissioner of Police in the state to step aside while another officer oversees election security arrangements.
He added that an Assistant Inspector-General of Police would soon be deployed to Osun to strengthen the security architecture for the election.
The IGP described the Osun governorship election, which is the last off-cycle election before the 2027 general elections, as a significant test for the Nigeria Police Force and the country.
“Officers know the implications of going contrary to their assigned duties and roles on election day. No election or political contest is worth losing any life, as elections will come and go,” he said.
Disu appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully before, during and after the election.
He also warned police personnel deployed for the election against allowing themselves to be used for unlawful activities.
“I have warned my men not to allow themselves to be used as cannon fodder. You have families and you have a name. Do not soil that name because of an election that will come and go,” he said.
The IGP also warned politicians against deploying thugs, saying the absence of violence would contribute significantly to a peaceful electoral process.
“Let the elections go freely. Do not deploy thugs. If they do not deploy thugs, there will be no problems with the election. But we will ensure security, free and fair election,” he said.
Earlier, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, described the Osun governorship election as a “litmus test” for rebuilding public trust and confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Itodo expressed concerns over the security situation in the state, noting that 13 local government areas had been identified as high-risk areas due to recurring violence and killings.
He urged security agencies, particularly the police, to remain neutral and resist attempts by political actors to compromise the election.
He listed Osogbo, Irewole, Ifedayo and Ife North among local government areas classified as critical-risk zones, while Boripe, Ife Central and Ife East were identified as areas requiring heightened security attention.
Itodo stressed that the conduct of security agencies would play a major role in determining voters’ confidence in the electoral process.
He urged security personnel to ensure fairness, protect all stakeholders and avoid actions capable of undermining the credibility of the election.
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