The First Lady of Osun State, Titilola Adeleke, on Monday led a group of women to the state police command in Osogbo to protest alleged intimidation of voters and political actors ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
Adeleke, who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Ayobola Awolowo, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Market Affairs, Eniola Omotoso, marched from Lameco through the West Bypass to the police headquarters.
The protesters submitted a petition to the Commissioner of Police in charge of election duties, CP Samuel Etaifo, demanding measures to ensure that voters can participate in the August 15 poll without fear or intimidation.
Addressing the police commissioner, Adeleke alleged that some leaders of the Accord Party were being targeted for arrest by opposition elements ahead of the election.
She also raised concerns over the reported arrest of the Commissioner for Environment the previous Friday, alleging that he was subjected to degrading treatment while in police custody.
“From what we heard, we learnt that they will start picking our leaders up this week. Last Friday, they picked up the Commissioner for Environment. He was brought here, stripped naked. This is not good enough. They should leave our people alone,” she said.
Adeleke urged the police to ensure that all political parties and their supporters were allowed to participate in the election without harassment, stressing the need for a credible and peaceful exercise.
Responding, CP Etaifo assured the protesters that the command was committed to maintaining peace and creating a safe environment for voters and political actors.
He, however, cautioned against actions that could heighten tension in the state, saying the protest itself could undermine the relative peace recorded since his deployment.
“If you notice, since I came, we have relative peace in the state. But the problem we have is that we cannot continue to tolerate what you have done today because it will not contribute to peace; it will cause tension again,” Etaifo said.
The police commissioner explained that his deployment to Osun was based on a directive from the Inspector-General of Police to stabilise the state ahead of the governorship election.
He said the police had a responsibility to provide an enabling environment for every eligible voter and political actor to exercise their franchise without fear.
“I have the mandate of the Inspector-General of Police to come to the state and stabilise things, give an enabling environment for every political actor to exercise their franchise, to create public confidence for everyone to come out to vote on election day,” Etaifo said.
He assured the protesters that the command would examine the issues raised in their petition and adjust its strategy where necessary to address their concerns.
“We are going to go back and restrategise to attend to all your demands,” the commissioner added.
The protest came just days before the August 15 Osun governorship election, with political parties intensifying campaigns and security agencies stepping up preparations for the poll.
