Tension in Ogbomoso over Alleged Plan to Invade Collation Centre

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Following alleged plan to invade the Collation Centre in Ogbomoso Sunday, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ) and agents of political parties hurriedly fled the centre to another location.

THISDAY gathered that the collation centre is located in Ogbomoso North, one of the five local government areas in Ogbomoso zone, with 10 wards and 183 polling units, the largest in the zone.

It was learnt that the tensed atmosphere forced those outside the collation to seek for protection elsewhere and halted the collation exercise while top officials of INEC led by the Returning Officer, Prof. Rasheed Okunola, ordered that collation process should be stopped immediately.

Okunola who was reconciling the results of the 10 wards in the local government when the report of security threat was received along with other officials moved the collation to the town hall at the palace of Soun of Ogbomoso, popularly known as Ojude Oba.

The Returning Officer while speaking with a senior police officer who visited the collation centre to inquire about the situation of things, said the collation centre had been relocated while announcement would be made later at the new venue which has now been heavily guarded by soldiers.