Adesiyan justifies police deployment

Adesiyan justifies police deployment

THE Minister of Police Affairs, Dr Jelili Adesiyan, has defended the importance of deploying policemen to maintain orderliness before, during and after the 9 August, 2014 governorship election in Osun State, noting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was hypocritical in its condemnation of the deployment of security agents to monitor election.

Adesiyan, who handed out helmets branded to campaign for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the election, Senator Iyiola Omisore, to motorcycle riders during the party’s campaign at Isokan Local Government, said this at the palace of the Olukoyi of Ikoyi, Oba Yisau Oyetunji Bantale.

According to Adesiyan, the APC’s alarm over the deployment of security agents to monitor the governorship election in the state was baseless and unfounded. He wondered why the party suddenly began to cry wolf over the deployment of security agencies to states where elections are held despite the local and international commendations that followed the peaceful conduct of the elections.

“Policemen and soldiers were deployed to Edo State to maintain order during the governorship election in the state last year. I wonder why the APC did not go to court to challenge Mr President after its candidate, Adams Oshiomhole, won the election. When the same thing was done in Ondo State, where the PDP did not win, they did not raise the alarm. But because the PDP won in Ekiti, following the rejection of their party for its anti-people programmes, they have begun to cry wolf where there is none.

“But we will deploy the police in Osun because we want peace and order during the election. I know why they [APC] are crying, it is because they want to rig the election. But we know their plans already and we will block them,” the minister said.

He also expressed optimism that the PDP candidate, Omisore, would win the election, noting that the people of Osun State had become tired of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s misrule and would vote the APC out.