By Ayomide Otitoju
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office along the Gbongan-Ibadan Road in Osogbo has witnessed heightened activity and increased security presence as preparations intensify for Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.
Security personnel, including officers of the Nigeria Police Force, were seen in large numbers at the INEC premises ahead of their deployment across the state’s 30 local government areas.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Oluwatoyin Babalola, is also meeting with National Commissioners and supporting Resident Electoral Commissioners from other states as final arrangements for the election are being concluded.
The election will take place across 3,763 polling units in 332 wards spread across the 30 local government areas of the state.
INEC had on Thursday announced that 1,906,390 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), representing 81.50 per cent of the state’s 2,339,233 registered voters, had been collected ahead of the election.
The Commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed the figure in a statement.
According to Haruna, the remaining 426,842 PVCs, representing 18.50 per cent of registered voters, had been securely deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in line with INEC’s established procedure.
The Commission also said 6,101 voters who applied for replacement of damaged, defaced or lost PVCs had printed downloadable copies of their new cards.
INEC said the arrangements were part of its efforts to ensure a smooth and credible governorship election in the state.
