The Governor of Osun State, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has advised youths particularly the students in the state to shun electoral violence and protect their votes in the coming July 16, 2022 governorship election.
Oyetola urged the students not to become willing tools for desperate politicians to perpetrate electoral violence before, during and after the election and not to compromise already existing peace in the state in the last three and half years.
The governor spoke at a Leadership Summit with the Theme “ Free, Fear and Credible Election, Bedrock for National Development’’, organised by the National leadership of National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) held at Osun State University, Osogbo Campus, Osogbo, Osun state capital.
Oyetola, represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Student Affairs and Social Mobilisation, Comrade Kehinde Ayantunji said student unionism is leadership recruitment platform for national development and the student must strive hard to sustain current democratic transition in the state through free, fair, credible and acceptable election.
Also speaking, Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Abduganiyu Olayinka said out of 1,955,657 total registered voters in Osun, youth between the age of 18 – 50 years constituted 75 per cent of the total eligible voters saying the youths in Osun now have a better opportunity to choose their preferred candidate with the larger voting population advantage.
He said the Permanent Voters Card of those who participated in the just concluded Continuous Voters Registration in state are now available in different local government INEC offices and announced that the collection would be devolved to 332 wards from next week Monday and urged the students to go and collect their voters card.
Abduganiyu who said that 15 political parties are participating in the July 16,2022 governorship election in Osun advised the youths and students not to involve in any form of rigging and violence, saying the new technologies that will be deployed by INEC will reduce substantially, election malpractices.
