…..NSCDC deploys 9,747 operatives
Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
For seamless conduct of the Saturday’s Governorship election in Ekiti State, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered the restriction of vehicular movements along entry and exit points to Ekiti from 12:00am on 18th June, 2022 to 6:00pm of the same day.
The Police boss said this in a statement, in Ado Ekiti, on Friday, by the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, DSP Sunday Abutu.
“In view of the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State slated for 18th June, 2022, the IGP Baba through the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force CID and Coordinating DIG for Southwest, Babatunde Kokunmo, wishes to inform the good people of Ekiti State that the Police have mobilized all necessary assets in partnership with other security agencies to provide adequate security and ensure free, fair and credible election. “To this end, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the military as well as other security agencies have been deployed across the State borders to enforce the restriction order to the later and ensure criminal minded individuals do not infiltrate into the State”.
Meanwhile, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, on Friday said it would deploy 9, 747 personnel drawn from FCT, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Kogi, Kwara and Edo commands to provide security during Saturday’s Ekiti governorship election.
Out of the number, 160 armed female squad would also be deployed to ensure resistance of any form of violence, intimidation and abuse against women involved in the political process.
Addressing personnel at the Ekiti state Command NSCDC headquarters in Ado Ekiti before they move to their respective places of deployment, Acting Deputy Commandant General Operations, Lawal Haruna, also disclosed that some flash points have already been identified.
However, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Governorship candidate, Engr. Segun Oni, on Friday said some desperate politicians are already violating the peace accord signed before the Gen Abdudalami Abubakar-led National Peace Commission.
Oni said rather than adhering to the tenets of democracy in the conduct of the June 18 Ekiti election, that those he described as “oppressors”, had allegedly been dehumanising and demobilising his supporters through unlawful arrests.
Oni, who addressed the pressmen in Ado Ekiti, on Friday, alerted the INEC, international community, security agencies , observers and other stakeholders that “For this election to be acceptable, the REC must stamp and sign all forms EC8A , EC8B, EC8C and EC8D and not by any other agent or staff . Once the REC stamps and signs, nobody will be able to smuggle any form of fake results”.
On the imperative of peace for the election to be successful, Oni said: “I will keep to the peace accord. But when you are kidnapping people , it renders every peace document invalid. Let us tell them not to set this state on fire.
“Those who had been going round to kidnap my supporters should be called to order now. They are testing the patience and tolerance of the people. They shouldn’t set this state on fire. If anybody commits offence and they think they are the authorities to go round and be arresting people at night, then the peace accord becomes shattered immediately”.
Also, the Centre for Democracy and Development(CDD) has described the spreading of fake and unsubstantiated news as the major threat to the success of the Saturday Governorship election in Ekiti
The Civil Society body appealed to the federal government,particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies to begin clampdwon on peddlers of fake news to protect the integrity of the electoral process in the country.
The CDD Director, Idayat Hassan, ,said this at a preelection press conference held in Ado Ekiti, on Friday.
