A civil society group, the Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens, on Thursday held a peaceful protest against the alleged mass redeployment of staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission across the state.
The group, in a petition submitted at the Osun INEC headquarters in Osogbo after the protest, expressed concerns over the redeployment of the commission’s staff, saying it might negatively impact the conduct of the August 15 governorship poll.
In the petition addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, the CSO alleged that individuals with affiliations to the opposition party in the state were posted to strategic positions in INEC’s local government offices across the state and the commission’s headquarters in Osogbo.
Also in the petition, signed by the coalition’s chairman and spokesperson, Musa Akinkunmi and Oluomo Success, it said the mass redeployment of staff across the state might affect the integrity of the election.
The group said the development was particularly troubling, noting that such did not occur before the last Anambra governorship poll or in Ekiti State, where a governorship poll will be held about two months before the Osun election.
It partly read, “We strongly decry the ongoing wave of postings and redeployments of INEC staff within Osun State, which appear to be selective, opaque, and overtly partisan in nature.
“Credible reports suggest a deliberate pattern of planting individuals with known affiliations or sympathies toward the All Progressives Congress (APC) into sensitive and strategic electoral positions across key local governments and state offices.
“It is both troubling and suspicious that similar large-scale staff reshuffling has not been observed in Ekiti State, where elections are scheduled ahead of Osun, nor was such a measure implemented during the recently concluded election in Anambra State.
“This selective application of administrative actions fuels legitimate concerns that Osun State is being unfairly targeted for electoral manipulation, thereby eroding public trust in INEC’s neutrality.”
Demanding an immediate suspension and review of all recent staff postings within Osun INEC offices, the CSO also called for a transparent and independent audit of voter transfer activities within the commission in the state.
It warned against any attempt to manipulate the Osun governorship poll, declaring that such would be firmly resisted by the people.
“We unequivocally warn against any scheme designed to compromise the electoral process. The consequences of such actions could be far-reaching and detrimental to democratic stability,” the petitioners added.
The PUNCH reports that Mutiu Agboke, the Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner, was recently redeployed to Ondo State.
The redeployment immediately led to disagreement between the Accord Party and the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress.
While the Accord Party queried the timing of the redeployment and accused the APC of being behind Agboke’s transfer, the main opposition party dismissed the claim and said it should not be dragged into the internal affairs of the electoral commission.
