The governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party for the upcoming Osun State governorship election, Olufemi Adesuyi, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to improve security at Permanent Voter Card distribution centres across the state.
His appeal follows the reported theft of Permanent Voter Cards at Okuku in Odo-Otin Local Government Area on Sunday.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Adesuyi said stronger security measures should be put in place at all 332 ward collection centres to protect the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The ZLP flagbearer specifically urged the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, to collaborate with security agencies to ensure the deployment of adequate personnel to every PVC collection point, especially those located in rural communities considered vulnerable.
According to the ZLP standard-bearer, “the reported incident in Okuku should prompt immediate preventive measures to avoid similar occurrences in other parts of the state where eligible voters are collecting their cards.”
Adesuyi maintained that protecting electoral materials was vital to sustaining public confidence in the election, noting that all registered voters should be able to collect their PVCs without intimidation, disruption or criminal interference.
“We cannot afford a situation where citizens who have fulfilled their civic responsibility by registering are denied access to their Permanent Voter Cards because of security lapses or criminal activities,” he said.
He stated that, “The protection of PVCs and other electoral materials is critical to the credibility of the election. INEC should immediately reinforce security at all designated collection centres across Osun State.”
Adesuyi further cautioned against dismissing the reported theft in Odo-Otin as an isolated case, arguing that the incident revealed security gaps capable of undermining the ongoing PVC distribution exercise if urgent action was not taken.
“The Odo Otin incident should serve as a wake-up call. If one collection centre can be compromised, others may also be at risk. We urge the Resident Electoral Commissioner to act swiftly by securing all PVC distribution centres. Protect the votes and protect democracy,” he added.
The call comes in the wake of reports that suspected hoodlums stormed a PVC distribution centre at Oyinlola DC Primary School in Okuku during the ongoing voter card collection exercise conducted by INEC.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the attackers fired gunshots into the air, creating panic among residents and prospective voters before escaping with packs of Permanent Voter Cards that had been kept near officials attending to registrants.
