OSUN POLL: IGP Appoints Electoral Commissioner to Boost Confidence

By Temitope Adebiyi, Correspondent

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has announced that the position of an Electoral Commissioner of Police has been approved to oversee election security, with the officers assuming responsibility for security operations ahead of the Saturday Election in Osun State.

Disu explained that the Commissioner of Police in the State, Ibrahim Gotan, was removed following complaints by politicians ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The IGP disclosed this during a press briefing, a video of which surfaced on X on Sunday, saying the decision was reached after consultations with political stakeholders who expressed a lack of confidence in the Commissioner of Police.

“For the first time, we introduced the Electoral Commissioner of Police, who will be taking charge of the election early, after we noticed that certain groups of politicians and political parties complained that they no longer had confidence in the Commissioner of Police.

“The Commissioner of Police was, therefore, asked to step aside while the Electoral Commissioner of Police moved in ahead of the election,” the IGP said.

He added that more senior police officers with specific responsibilities for the election would also be deployed to the state.

“The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of elections will be moving in any moment from now. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, who will be in charge of the Osun election, will also be moving in,” Disu said.

The IGP said all officers deployed for the election had been given clear directives to ensure adequate security before, during and after the poll.

“They have specific instructions. We, the police, are in charge of internal security. We are the lead agency responsible for securing this election,” he stated.

Disu, however, assured residents that the police would work closely with other security agencies deployed for the exercise.

“Yes, we are going to cooperate with other sister agencies that will support us during this election,” he said.

On concerns over possible violence, the IGP said security personnel had already been deployed across Osun State to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

According to him, the deployments are aimed at preventing violence and ensuring that residents are able to exercise their voting rights in a peaceful and secure environment.

The Osun governorship election is scheduled for August 15, with incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party seeking re-election against the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as Ambo.