The Osun State Government has rejected the security advice by the Nigeria Police Force on Friday, to suspend the state council poll slated for today.
In a statement on Friday, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, while acknowledging the security advice, accused the police of partisanship, supporting the All Progressives Congress, and acting against democracy.
Stating that the advice was rejected, “on the ground of rule of law and aversion to police partisanship,” Mr Alimi described the proposal as “biased, partisan and in contravention of democratic tenets,” adding that their pretence of serving “public good, while actually promoting illegality of the APC reinforces our rejection of a Greek gift.”
“From the beginning of this face-off, the police have breached best practices by its open support for the All Progressive Congress, a party that is pushing for illegality through a non-existing court order. The whole world knows how the police actively aided the APC to enforce a reinstatement order that was never issued by any court of law. A law enforcement agency has suddenly become a partisan wing of a political party, the APC, thereby losing all toga of a fair law agency. The negative role of the police to ignite the current face-off made its advice a poisoned chocolate.”
The state government urged the police to obey Friday’s court judgment that affirmed vacancies in the 30 LGAs by authenticating the sacking of the APC council chieftains, while also directing them and other security agencies to provide security for the fresh election.
The government said, “Instead of the police obeying court orders, the service is regrettably pursuing its partisan line by actively working against rule of law as espoused by today’s court ruling. If the police choose to disobey court orders, the Osun State government will not go against rule of law, hence the decision of the state government to support the state electoral commission to conduct a credible free and fair elections tomorrow.
The state government, while appreciating the police for the advice, siad it, “respectfully turned down the request while we urge Osun voters to peacefully exercise their voting rights on Saturday.”
