With voting in the governorship election in Osun State barely commencing and security operatives randomly arresting leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state, former Vice President and chieftain of APC, Atiku Abubakar has called for neutrality and professionalism of security agents monitoring the election.
Atiku made the call via a press statement from his media office in Abuja, on Saturday, referencing accounts of widespread reports that soldiers and officials of the Department of State Security (DSS) have continued to randomly chase down and arrest APC leaders and members across the state.
He noted in the statement that the use of the military for the purpose of election is an anathema to the very spirit of electioneering politics, because the rules of engagement of the military violates the principles of fundamental human rights which gives the people the power of franchise.
The former vice president called on the relevant authorities behind the deployment of troops for the governorship election in Osun State to give instructions to the soldiers and state security agents on the imperative of limited and minimal engagement associated with the nature of their assignment, as the mood of terror being reported to have been created in the state is capable of distorting the expected free and fair outcome of the election.
