Osun governorship rerun election peaceful, orderly

The Osun State governorship election re-run scheduled for yesterday, in seven polling units of Osogbo, Orolu, Ife North and Ife South Local Government Areas of the state took place amid tight security by men of the Nigerian Army and the Police.

The governorship election was declared inconclusive last Sunday by the INEC returning officer, Professor Joseph Ayoola Fuwape, following some irregularities discovered in the affected seven polling units.

While announcing the result declared in 26 Local Government Areas on Sunday afternoon at the INEC headquarters in Osogbo, Professor Fuwape said it was against the electoral law to declare a candidate winner of an election, where the voided ballot papers were more than vote’s difference between the leading candidate and the runner up.

The INEC had explained that he took the decision to declare the election inconclusive in order to conduct a free, fair and credible polls in the governorship election in the state.

During yesterday re-run exercise, voters trooped out as early as 6am in the morning to the affected polling units to register their presence and vote for candidate of their choice, in a free, fair and orderly manner.

A visit to Ward Nine, one of the affected polling units in Orolu Local Government Area showed that the exercise was orderly with voters casting their votes in peaceful conduct.

But the election was almost marred with violence in Ward Eight of Adewale Street, in Osogbo Local Government Area where voters complained of voting materials to a particular political party so as to deny them the opportunity to exercise their franchise.