Osun rerun: Police, INEC speak on vote-buying

Bello Ahmed, the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police in charge of the Osun governorship re-run election in Olede in Ife South Local Government, has said that security agents were monitoring the issue of vote-buying.

Ahmed, while speaking with newsmen at Adereti polling Unit 12, ward 7 in Olode on Thursday, said that anyone caught buying votes would be arrested.

He, however, said that the election had been peaceful, adding that voters were behaving maturely.

”We are law-abiding and we obey the rule of law but anyone who perpetrates crime will be arrested.

“But so far, so good; the election is going on smoothly,” Ahmed said.

Also speaking, Mr Stephen Ojewande, Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, said nobody was allowed to come to the polling unit with smartphones.

Ojewande said people with smartphones were restricted 300 metres away from the polling units.

“We ensure that nobody comes to the polling unit with smartphones.

“We also ensure that people with smartphones are chased 300 metres away from the polling unit,” he said.

Ojewande also said that voting would end by 2 p.m., adding that the last person on the queue would be attended to.