LG Elections: Ogun govt announces 9-hour statewide restriction of movement

LG Elections: Ogun govt announces 9-hour statewide restriction of movement

Ogun State government has announced a statewide restriction of movement on Saturday, July 24, 2021, to allow smooth and peaceful conduct of local government elections scheduled to take place in the state. 

The nine-hour restriction will take place between the hours of 7 in the morning and 4 in the evening, according to a statement by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Odusile.

The restriction, the statement said, was at the instance of the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) which is conducting the councilorship and chairmanship elections in all the 236 wards across the 20 local government areas in the state. 

However, during the period of the restriction, voters will be free to move to their polling centres within their neighbourhood and cast their votes for the candidates of their choice.

The statement urged the electorate to be peaceful and avoid any act that could tarnish the hard-earned reputation of Ogun State as one of the most peaceful states in the country.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, TRACE, has vowed to enforce the restriction order of vehicular movement during the local government elections in the state.

The restriction order, according to a statement from the office of the TRACE Corps Commander/Chief Executive,  ‘Seni Ogunyemi, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, will last from 7 am to 4 pm.

He said the traffic outfit would be doing this in collaboration with other sister security agencies.

The Commander has therefore put all Area Commanders, Divisional Commanders, Unit Commanders and Head of Squads, on red alert to synergize with other services in the scope of their command structure to ensure orderliness during and after the elections.

“They are also to scan, track and locate suspicious movement and provide adequate information on same, as witnessed on locations and on roads, place on standby, rescue equipment for quick response to emergency traffic challenges before, during and after the elections”.

“They would as well ensure that vehicles with voting materials get to their location (s) promptly without hindrance”.

Furthermore, the release urged the general public, particularly the voting public, to respect and uphold the rules and regulations guiding their movement and restricting vehicular movement to guarantee a hitch-free and credible local government elections in the state.