Tension in Osun as guber election holds today

Today’s election will also see the deployment of over 26,000 security personnel as well as 10,432 ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to work in different capacities to ensure the success of the poll.Although, 20 political parties’ candidates are contesting the election, only three parties’ candidates: Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the […]

Today’s election will also see the deployment of over 26,000 security personnel as well as 10,432 ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to work in different capacities to ensure the success of the poll.
Although, 20 political parties’ candidates are contesting the election, only three parties’ candidates: Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives’ Party (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party’s Fatai Akinbade, a former secretary of the state government under former governor Olagunsoye  Oyinlola, are seen as the candidates to beat.
So far, 960,124 Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) have been distributed to eligible voters out of 1,410,684 cards received in the state at the end of July, according to the state INEC resident commissioner, Olusegun Agabje.
The incumbent governor Aregbesola, it would be recalled took over the mantle of leadership of the state on November 16, 2010, when the election that brought former governor Oyinlola to power was nullified by the court of appeal sitting in Ibadan.
Although, the state is calm as at the time of filling this report, despite the presence of masked military men, policemen, and operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Security Service, parading major roads and mounted road blocks in the state capital, Osogbo, there was palpable fear among the residents of the city over what the election would turn out like.
Though the police and INEC have assured the people of security, the incessant blaring of sirens around the metropolis is creating fear among the voters.
With brick-bath between the two main parties, APC and PDP, the atmosphere is charged.
On Thursday, APC national chairman, Chief John Oyegun, accused the PDP of plans to use sophisticated technology to rig the election and also to deploy specified numbers of impression ballot papers and vanishing ink in 1,195 polling units across 155 wards in all local government areas of the state.
He also accused PDP of planning to de-register 47,000 voters, whose Voters Identification Numbers have been illegally acquired so they won’t find their names on the voters register.
But PDP has denied the claims saying that the party has no such plans, adding that the APC is only jittery.