COUNTDOWN TO Election day: No security aides for Fayose, Fayemi — Police

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Operations, Mr Habila Joshak, said yesterday that the security details of important personalities will be withdrawn on Saturday to ensure the credibility of the Ekiti State gubernatorial election.

He stated this while addressing pressmen in Ado Ekiti where he also disclosed that he would work with one Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Mr H.H. Karma and three other Commissioners of Police - Ali Janga, J.B. Kokumo and G.B. Umar - who he said would man each of the senatorial districts in the state.

Joshak said the Electoral Act disallowed deployment of armed security personnel to polling booths.

He said he had contacted security details of both Governor Ayodele Fayose and the candidate of the APC, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and other top government officials to report at 6am at the police headquarters in Ado Ekiti on Saturday.

Joshak urged his men not to work for any political party, saying any police officer found exhibiting such tendency would have himself to blame.

On the alleged blockage of the government house, Joshak said: “We are not here to usurp the authority of Governor Fayose. We are not here to rubbish him because he represents the people but we are not going to allow any unauthorized rally that can trigger violence in the state. You can see that the state is tensed up.

“As law enforcement agents, we must be proactive and take actions that can prevent crisis rather than trying to quell it after it might have broken out,” he said.

A rally scheduled to take place at the new Pavilion located at Fajuyi, which was within the vicinity of the government house was botched as policemen tear gassed the participants.

The police shot sporadically into the air as they dispersed the PDP members who were called by Fayose for a rally to garner support for Prof. Kolapo Olusola.