Osun bye-election: Assembly makes case for peace

Osun State House of Assembly under the leadership of Rt. Hon Najeem Salaam has called on the security agencies in the state to be pro-active and strategic to ensure that lives and properties are protected in the upcoming bye-election in Ife Central Constituency of the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed April 9 for the election to fill the vacant seat of Ife Central constituency in the Assembly following the death of the late Honourable Dejo Makinde on December 27, 2015.

Makinde, a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) was the Minority Leader of the House.

In a statement by the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Honourable Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, the Assembly said all machinery should be put in motion to ensure violence free election.

The parliament charged the security agencies to strengthen their intelligent gathering procedures to ensure that lives and properties are safer and neutralize activities of mischief makers.

It stressed that Osun has been known to be a peaceful state and the state government has been striving hard to sustain the tempo due to supports being given to various security agencies in terms of security equipment, saying nobody should be allowed to subvert the peace in the state.

The house urged security agencies to be fair to all parties and ensure they bring full weight of the law on anyone who attempt to upset peaceful coexistence in the state.

The Assembly then urged all parties and politicians to thread softly during the election, with a view to allowing people chose their representing without coercion.

It also urged stakeholders in the election to play by the rules of the game, so as to ensure that peace reigns before, during and after the poll.