After more than four months of organising rallies and public events, media interviews and other activities aimed at wooing the 1.9 million persons that have so far collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Osun State, the moment of reckoning has finally arrived.
Eligible voters in Osun would be going to the polls today with 15 political parties cleared to participate in the exercise. The major contenders are the incumbent, Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party; the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Oyebamiji, and that of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Najeem Salaam.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday added the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Francis Ajala, to the ballot. Yemisi Adeagbo of the African Democratic Party is the only female candidate in the race.
With a tense political atmosphere which has seen no fewer than 73 election-related violent incidents resulting in 29 deaths, according to a pre-election Security Risk Assessment (ESRA) by the Kimpact Development Initiative, across major roads, streets and strategic locations in Osun, soldiers, conventional policemen, Police Mobile Force personnel, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps’ operatives are visibly present. The heightened security came as authorities seek to prevent violence, intimidation, disruption of voting and other forms of electoral malpractice.
