The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State began distributing sensitive materials on Wednesday in preparation for Saturday’s state assembly elections. The distribution took place at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Osogbo branch and was witnessed by security operatives and journalists. Supervision was provided by the state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Mutiu Agboke.
Before the exercise began, Dr. Agboke pledged to enhance the commission’s arrangements, procedures, and security measures because of the high stakes involved, even though there is no gubernatorial election in the state. He announced that armed security personnel would be on duty at collation centres across Osun and that additional forces would be deployed to violence‑prone areas to ensure a smooth poll.
“We are here for our usual rituals—bringing out the sensitive materials we have kept in the CBN for the past few weeks for the upcoming State House of Assembly election,” he said. “In Osun State there is no gubernatorial election, but people will be electing House of Assembly members, so we have brought out ballot papers and result sheets. They will be batched into Local Governments; there are 30 customized sets ready for deployment.”
Dr. Agboke emphasized the significance of the day, noting that all stakeholders were present, which underscored the importance of this election. “The stakes are high and tension is everywhere. People are spreading unfounded rumours, so we must step up our game and scale up arrangements, procedures, and security,” he remarked. He recalled previous disruptions during presidential and national assembly polls, warning that any area experiencing disruption would receive zero votes, and INEC would not return to conduct the election there.
Regarding security on election day, Agboke added, “Where elections have been cancelled due to overvoting, we will not give any opportunity to anyone.” He assured that in areas notorious for violence, security forces have guaranteed proper deployment. “We will secure all levels of collection—from the ward to the local government and the state collation level—and ensure our armed security personnel are fully on the ground.”
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