Streets in Osogbo, Osun State capital were on Saturday deserted as the government insisted on conducting the Local Government poll.
Osun State Government had earlier acknowledged the security advice from the Nigerian Police Force but went on to announce that the advice was rejected on the grounds of the rule of law and alleged police partisanship.
Moving around Osogbo streets, the presence of police operatives were observed at strategic points.
The security personnel had subjected the few vehicles moving to thorough checks.
Shops, markets and other business places were shut as business activities were at a standstill in most of the city.
As of the time of filing this report, voting has not commenced at polling units visited in Osogbo, as electoral officers were still being expected in Olaiya, Ota Efun, Ayetoro, Igona, and Jaleoyemi areas.
The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, in a statement, had said, “The state government under His Excellency, Governor Ademola Adeleke has reviewed the advice and has come to the conclusion that the proposal from the force headquarters was biased, partisan and in contravention of democratic tenets. The pretence of the service to be serving the public good while actually promoting the illegality of the APC reinforces our rejection of a Greek gift.
“From the beginning of this face-off, the police has breached best practices by its open support for the All Progressive Congress, a party that is pushing for illegality through a non-existing court order. The whole world knows how the police actively aided the APC in enforcing a reinstatement order that was never issued by any court of law.
“A law enforcement agency has suddenly become a partisan wing of a political party, the APC, thereby losing all toga of a fair law agency. The negative role of the police to ignite the current face-off made its advice a poison chocolate.
“Beyond the above, we also call the attention of the police to the court judgment of today. It contains three orders which affirm vacancies in Osun councils by authenticating the sacking of the APC council chieftains. directed the police and other security agencies to provide security for the election and gave the go-ahead to fresh LG elections by Saturday 22nd.
“Instead of the police to obey court order, the service is regrettably pursuing its partisan line by actively working against the rule of law as espoused by today’s court ruling. If the police choose to disobey court orders, the Osun state government will not go against the rule of law, hence the decision of the state government to support the state electoral commission to conduct a credible free and fair elections tomorrow.”
