Posted by By AKEEB ALARAPE, Ibadan on
Despite the presence of about 30 fully armed riot policemen and officials of the State Security Services (SSS), visitors and staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oyo State ran for dear lives, Monday, over a security report that some hoodlums were on their way to attack the INEC office.
…Amid fears of mob attack
Despite the presence of about 30 fully armed riot policemen and officials of the State Security Services (SSS), visitors and staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oyo State ran for dear lives, Monday, over a security report that some hoodlums were on their way to attack the INEC office.
Lawyer to Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the governorship candidate of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP), Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), was inspecting voting materials when the incident happened.
The report eventually led to the beefing up of security at all the entrances leading into the INEC office while visitors were frisked by security men.
Interestingly, Akintola refused to move an inch, saying he would prove to hoodlums, if they dared come to attack him, that he is an indigene of the state.
Briefing newsmen about the security report, Akintola confirmed that one of SSS officials attached to him brought the information that members of the state transport union were being recruited to come and attack him.
But he said: "For how long would I continue to run away from my hometown. For some weeks now, I have been running to and fro as a result of many threats I have been receiving. I won't run anywhere again. I am doing my legitimate duties."
Akintola, who later inspected the INEC materials, told newsmen that he actually discovered some anomalies in the documents inspected. He disclosed that there were no distribution lists of ballot papers from electoral officers to polling officers as well as non-availability of Form EC 25.
The senior advocate also complained that INEC did not have the inventories of how ballot papers were distributed during the elections, lack of serial numbers on ballot papers and that most of the documents were not signed.
Akintola, however, acknowledged the co-operation of the lawyers of INEC in the inspection exercise but he took a swipe on the conduct of lawyer to the state governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, for proving difficult.
Meanwhile, the legal luminary had described the deployment of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Jonathan Johnson, as good riddance to bad rubbish, saying security of the state under him (Johnson) was everything but good.
He advised the in-coming police chief to be politically neutral and discharge his duty without fear or favour by copying the leadership qualities of the Director of SSS in the state, Mr. Adebayo Babalola saying, ‘Oyo State is a politically volatile state.'