Officers of the Nigerian Police Force have been urged to safeguard the credibility of the Ekiti State Governorship election scheduled for Saturday, June 18th 2022.
In an address by the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba at Command Headquarters, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State on Tuesday, deployed officers will police the electoral process, public space and ensure that criminals are deterred from perfecting their ignoble trade.
Baba however vouched that deployed officers would be apolitical, firm, and professional in the discharge of their election security mandate.
He said “The Ekiti election will certainly not be different as our professionalism and patriotism will, once again, be put to test and subjected to public scrutiny.
“In this regard, you should all note that our mandate includes working with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in creating a conducive and enabling environment that will guarantee the peaceful conduct of the elections.
We are also statutorily charged with the responsibility of securing INEC personnel, electoral materials, and other critical assets of the Commission as well as the electorates and the local and international observers.
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| EKITI 1&4 L-R The resident Electral Commissioner in Ekiti State Dr Tells Rahmon, the Chairman Independent National Eledtoral Commission Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and the Inspector General of Police Usman Baba Alikali at the election stakeholders meeting on Ekiti State Governorship Election in Ado Ekiti Ekiti State yesterday. |
In carrying out our duties under the Electoral Act, we should be mindful not to abandon our routine, primary mandate of guaranteeing security within the public space so that criminal elements do not feast on our electoral engagement to have space for their heinous crimes.
“In essence, our roles in Ekiti at this period are twofold. First is to police the electoral process in conjunction with our friendly Forces which include the Military, DSS and other sister security agencies.
Second is to police the public space and ensure that criminals are deterred from perfecting their ignoble trade. It is in furtherance to this that I am here to personally encourage, inspire and motivate you towards appreciating the task ahead and how much the nation looks up to you to guarantee the credibility of the outcome of the elections.
“I have during my earlier interaction with the stakeholders vouched on your behalf that you shall all be apolitical, firm, and professional in the discharge of your election security mandate. I also assured them that while we shall be civil enough to protect the law-abiding citizens, we shall also be decisive in dealing with any political and subversive deviants that may test our will by attempting to disrupt the peaceful order during the election.”
He added “Beyond securing the public space all through the electoral process, you shall be deployed to adequately police the one hundred and seventy-seven (177) Wards and two thousand four hundred and forty-five (2,445) Polling Units spread over the sixteen (16) Local Government Areas of the State. You shall also be utilised to protect the personnel, materials and facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the electorates, and residents of Ekiti State in general before, during and immediately after the elections.
“In the performance of your duties, you are to be conscious of the fact that you shall be complemented by personnel from other security agencies and the Military. Hence, I encourage you to cultivate the culture of inter-agency respect, trust, and cooperation. I charge you to maintain political neutrality and resist any temptation that could betray your professional calling or threaten the democratic process.”
In his address, The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the emergence of the next governor of Ekiti State will be made possible only by the voters.
This is as the commission pledged to be neutral in the poll.
He noted that the Commission has implemented several activities for the election.
He therefore assured Nigerians of the Commission’s determination to conduct a transparent and credible election in Ekiti State.
He said “For us in INEC, let me reassure political parties, candidates and the electorate that the choice of who becomes the next Governor of Ekiti State is entirely in the hands of voters. INEC will not take any action to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate.
“Our focus is on the processes and procedures as provided by law. In this regard, the election holding this weekend is historic being the first Governorship election that the Commission will be conducting based on the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 which came into force about four months ago on 25th February 2022. It is also the first election to be conducted based on our revised Regulations and Guidelines anchored on the provisions of the new Electoral Act. We have also revised our Training Manual to reflect the provisions of the new Electoral Act as well as the Regulations and Guidelines.
“The Commission has implemented several activities for the election. We have taken every step and made every arrangement for the successful conduct of the Governorship election this weekend. We held many meetings with political parties and their candidates.
“We had several engagements with the security agencies at national, State and Local Government levels. We consulted with stakeholders. We sought for, and received, the blessings of Royal Fathers and religious leaders. We have recruited, trained and carefully screened all categories of ad-hoc staff to be deployed to the field. We have delivered all non-sensitive materials for the election.
Voter education and sensitisation is ongoing. We have made arrangements for the transportation of personnel and materials to all polling units on Election Day. For a more effective supervision of the process, we have deployed four National Commissioners, eight Resident Electoral Commissioners and many senior officials to support our State office here in Ekiti State to deliver credible elections.”
