SaharaReporters reports that Oyo State is holding its local government elections across the state, an exercise which has been widely fraught with irregularities.
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested the Oyo State chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC) Kayode Babayomi, who is on election duty on Saturday.
SaharaReporters reports that Oyo State is holding its local government elections across the state, an exercise which has been widely fraught with irregularities.
"The AAC Oyo state chair, Babayomi, has been arrested and detained at the Sanyo police station while on election duty," SaharaReporters was told.
"He was arrested at Ward one, Unit 15, J Nissi area."
"This is particularly planned because at the same polling unit, the Oyo State electoral commission deliberately brought wrong ballot papers, despite coming late."
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Oyo State local government elections billed for Saturday were delayed in some areas, causing frustration among citizens who had turned out to cast their votes.
SaharaReporters had learnt that despite the scheduled commencement time of 8am, many polling units across the state have yet to receive the necessary electoral materials.
Visits to the 10 polling units in Ward 7 of Ibadan North Local Government confirmed the absence of electoral officers.
Additionally, as at the time of filing this report, only two police officers were present at Polling Unit 7, raising concerns about security and the integrity of the election process.
In Ward 8 in Ojo, Wesley reported that out of the expected 92 election ballot boxes, only 36 had arrived by the time of his observation.
Ayinde, a resident, expressed dismay, stating, "This is a polling unit, and we have not seen any officials or bright ballot papers. This reminds us of the delays we experienced during former governor Ajimobi's time when INEC officials didn't appear until 3pm."
The voter lists pasted at polling units were incorrect, belonging to another ward.
A woman, who requested anonymity, had stated, "For example, here at Sunnyday School 2 ward, they pasted the voter list meant for Sunnyday School 1."
The Chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Oyo State had also expressed disappointment, stating, "This issue is very disappointing. We raised concerns days before the election, suspecting that the electoral body planned to delay the arrival of electoral materials at polling units. However, we advise our people to go out and defend their democratic rights."
Efforts to reach the Oyo State Electoral Commission through the contact number provided on their website to confirm the reason for the delay proved unsuccessful.
The delay in the arrival of electoral materials has raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and the ability of citizens to exercise their democratic rights effectively.