The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called on Osun residents to turn out for Saturday’s governorship election and exercise their franchise despite concerns over the tense political atmosphere in the state.
The group urged eligible voters to resist any attempt by politicians or their supporters to discourage them from participating in the poll.
Speaking to journalists in Osogbo on Friday, the convener of the Situation Room, Yinusa Ya’u, said voters must be allowed to participate in the election without fear.
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.”
Ya’u urged voters to remain calm at polling units and avoid actions that could trigger violence. He also advised residents to be careful with information circulating on social media and to report threats or suspicious incidents through the appropriate channels.
“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.”
He said the organisation was worried by developments recorded ahead of the election, including political clashes, alleged attacks, intimidation and rising tension among supporters of rival parties.
According to him, 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.”
The CSO leader pointed to the security concerns identified ahead of the poll, noting that INEC had listed 385 flashpoints across Osun.
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.”
Ya’u further appealed to security agencies to actively identify and arrest individuals involved in vote-buying and other electoral offences instead of waiting for election officials to draw their attention to such activities.
The group urged voters, political parties and security agencies to prioritise peace and ensure that the election is conducted in an atmosphere where residents can freely make their choices.