The Edo State Police Command has assured of the safety of life and property during the Yuletide, adding that peace and respect for law and order would be upheld in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.
The Commissioner of Police, Edo State, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, made the assertion during a stakeholders’ meeting organised for representatives of political parties, security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said the meeting became necessary to get all actors to play by the rules in their activities before, during and after the February 2019 general elections to ensure credible, free, fair and transparent polls.
Kokumo explained that the duty of Police Officers is to enforce laws, noting “Our focus is for a peaceful, transparent and credible election, as there is nothing to gain from violence. Our interest is on the sovereign entity of Nigeria. I want to assure all political parties that we would not hesitate to bring to book all electoral offenders.”
“We would not allow lawlessness, thuggery, oppression, violence and other forms of electoral offences. All of these will never be tolerated by law enforcement agencies. We are here to serve the people of Nigeria,” he said.
The Edo State INEC Commissioner, Emmanuel Hart, who spoke on electioneering campaigns, said campaigns are opportunities for political parties to speak to voters on what they intend to do if they win elections.
The INEC Commissioner, who was represented by Head, Election and Party Monitoring, Edo State INEC Office, Kombo Briggs, urged political parties and their candidates to be guided by the provisions of the Electoral Act in their conduct and campaign messages.
Chairman, All Grassroots Alliance (AGA), Osarumwense Oshodin, called on INEC officials and security agencies to put modalities in place to arrest and prosecute politicians who spend beyond stipulated amount of money for campaigns and elections.
