The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), has warned that anyone attempting to disrupt the August 15 Osun State governorship election or engage in vote buying would face the full weight of the law.
Amupitan gave the warning on Thursday in Osogbo during the signing of the National Peace Committee’s Peace Accord by 14 political parties contesting the election, alongside security agencies, traditional rulers and other stakeholders, according to a statement by the commission.
He said the commission had completed 11 of the 13 activities on its election timetable, with only the end of campaigns on August 13 and election day remaining.
“We will not allow the democratic will of the people to be subverted by fear or force. Insecurity is a direct assault on the sanctity of the ballot,” he said.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the commission would deploy personnel across the state’s 30 Local Government Areas and the Modakeke Area Office, covering 332 Registration Areas and 3,763 Polling Units.
He said the certified register contained 2,339,233 eligible voters after the Automated Biometric Identification System exercise, adding that 322,822 Permanent Voter Cards, representing 62 per cent of newly registered voters, had been collected.
Amupitan noted that the collection of PVCs at all Local Government offices had been extended until Friday, July 31, to enable more voters collect their cards.
