Police lead agency for election security, says INEC boss

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), Mahmood Yakubu has stressed that the police remained the lead agency for election security in Nigeria at the second stakeholders meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.

Yakubu’s assertion is coming at a time that stakeholders were openly apprehensive the military would be deployed for security in the November 16 governorship election in the state.

At the last general election, stern-looking military men were deployed to the state for election security with the sad outcome of the killing of one Reginald Dei at Oweikorogha community.

But, addressing stakeholders on Thursday, Yakubu said: “The police is the lead agency for election security in Nigeria and the IGP is here,” while stating the readiness of the commission to conduct a free, fair and credible election.

He disclosed that INEC has successfully implemented 12 of the 14-point plan for the election as required by law and that five days earlier, the notice of poll w as published drawing the attention of political parties fielding candidates in the election to submit names of polling agents to electoral officers.

Yakubu said the non-sensitive materials had been delivered to the state and sorted out, categorised and batched by local governments, ward and units while the sensitive materials would be delivered to the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria this weekend.

According to him, the normal process of inspection would be carried out in the “presence of party agents, security agencies, observers and the media. The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Bayelsa State will give the date and time for the inspection and the itinerary for deployment in line with the Commission’s standard practice for the inspection and movement of sensitive materials.”

He reiterated that all sort of voter inducement and vote buying at the polling units are violations of the law and the ban on the use of mobile phones and other photographic devices in the voting cubicle is still in force and would be strictly enforced and monitored.

On the issue of peaceful conduct during the election, he explained that it is the collective responsibility of all to “safeguard the process and to protect all election duty staff including the Youth Corps members who serve at the polling units which is the basic level of the voting process.

“It is also our collective responsibility to extend the same protection and allow freedom of movement and unimpeded access to polling and collation areas for accredited observers and the media during the election.”

Highlight of the stakeholders meeting was the signing of the peace accord by political parties and candidates who resolved, pledged, affirmed and committed to non-violence before, during and after the election.