Osun governorship election: We will deal with vote buyers, sellers – Police

The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit, PCRRU, Mr. Abayomi Shogunle, has warned against buying and selling votes of in the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State.

Shogunle said anyone caught in the act would be seriously dealt with by the police.

He made this known at the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, during the sensitization tour to educate the general public about the mandate of his unit, and also to ensure free and credible election in the state.

He also warned that any police officer caught with unprofessional conduct before, during and after the election will be punished by the Nigeria Police.

According to him, “The credibility and peaceful contest of the Osun election remain paramount to us. The Intelligence Unit of the police is working assiduously to apprehend those who are selling and buying votes.

“We can assure the electorate that the September 22 gubernatorial election would be peaceful. We are imploring people to come out en masse and vote for their choice candidates without fear or favour.

“There is going to be a severe punishment for any police officer that is found guilty of any unprofessional conduct. We are here to ensure free and credible election. The Nigeria Police Force is not supporting any candidate. Our role is to ensure level playing ground for all the candidates.

“In the same vein, the intelligent unit of the police has perfected plan to arrest whoever caught buying or selling vote during the contest”.

Speaking on the achievements of the unit since its inception, the ACP said about 10 police officers have been dismissed based on complaints in the last two years of the establishment of the PCRRU.