The National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Osun has called on all eligible voters in the state to come out en masse on Saturday and exercise their civic rights peacefully and responsibly.

The NOA State Director, Adebiyi Adefarasin, stated this in a statement on Friday in Osogbo, urging residents to participate actively in the electoral process peacefully.

Mr Adefarasin urged citizens to approach the election with patriotism, responsibility and commitment to democratic values, emphasising the importance of peaceful participation and respect for electoral procedures throughout the voting process.

“Every eligible voter has the right to freely choose a candidate and should do so without fear, intimidation, or inducement,” he said, urging voters to exercise their rights responsibly.

He further assured residents that security agencies deployed for the election were mandated to protect voters, electoral officials, materials and other stakeholders, and not harass law-abiding citizens during voting operations.

Mr Adefarasin urged stakeholders to remain peaceful and law-abiding throughout the process, reject violence, vote buying and vote selling, and uphold the credibility of the election as a collective responsibility.

He also appealed to political parties, candidates, traditional and religious leaders, youths and the general public to respect the rule of law and allow the electoral process to run smoothly.

“Let’s make the election a model. We choose dialogue over violence. We choose ballots over bullets. We choose peace over chaos,” he said, urging citizens to protect democratic values together.

(NAN)