The Nigeria Police Force, on Saturday, arrested some officials of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), preventing elections from being held in areas where they were scheduled to take place and stopping the distribution of some electoral materials.  

OSSIEC chairman, Hashim Abioye, disclosed this in a statement on the commission’s X handle, attaching a video of himself making the accusation. The post was also reshared on the same platform by Governor Ademola Adeleke.  

It read, “Chairman, Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Hashim Abioye, has called out the Nigeria Police Force for arresting staff of the commission who are on election duty across the state.”  

Commending the electorate for coming out to exercise their rights, Mr Abioye pleaded with the media community over the commission’s inability to provide accreditation materials, blaming it on the police for having “sealed off OSSIEC head office where the materials were kept.”

He maintained that “for the units where material didn’t arrive early, it was due to police arresting the officials conveying the materials, adding that new materials have been deployed and voting is now ongoing.”

Peoples Gazette’s attempts to seek a comment from the spokesperson for the command, Yemisi Opalola, proved abortive, as her phone was switched off, and a text message sent to her on the matter was not responded to as of the time of filing this report.  

The development comes a day after the police advised the state government to suspend the local government elections over potential violence and a court order restraining the exercise from holding. However, Mr Adeleke, in response, accused the police of bias, promoting the illegality of the All Progressives Congress and acting as its partisan wing.