Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has called on President Bola Tinubu to rein in what he describes as “desperate and rejected politicians” allegedly attempting to disrupt or take over collation centres as votes from Saturday’s governorship election are counted.
Making the appeal in a social media post on Saturday as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) began collating results, Adeleke urged the President to issue a firm warning to security chiefs deployed to the state.
“It is imperative that you use your good office to issue a clear warning to the heads of security agencies deployed to protect the good people of Osun State and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process,” he said.
The governor said reports of interference attempts were worrying, especially given the large deployment of security personnel in the state for the election.
“Reports of attempts to hijack or disrupt collation centres by desperate and rejected politicians across the state are deeply concerning and unacceptable, particularly given the large number of security personnel deployed to ensure a peaceful and credible election,” Adeleke said.
He implored Tinubu to stand by the promise that the votes of Osun residents would be respected and that the final declaration would match the electorate’s choice.
“I therefore implore you to reiterate the commitment made to the people of Osun State that their votes will count and that the outcome of this election will reflect their genuine choice,” the governor said.
Adeleke also appealed to the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security agencies deployed for the election to follow the President’s directive and ensure the electoral process was adequately protected. He further called for the necessary support for INEC to complete the collation and declaration process in a manner he described as credible and transparent, insisting the outcome should reflect the wishes of the people.
“The people of Osun State have spoken with one voice, and their voices must be heard. Their votes must be protected, and their mandate must be respected.”
