Ahead of the November 16 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said its risk assessment has identified flashpoints in the two states.
INEC also said there were already warning signals in the two states, noting that both Bayelsa and Kogi states are politically volatile as elections had been disrupted by violence in the past.
This is as the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu, has said 69,282 personnel would be deployed to provide security during the November 16 governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who disclosed this, Friday, at the quarterly meeting of the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), said the information would be shared with the security agencies.
Yakubu also said the commission was concerned that thugs had been mobilised from within and outside the states with the aim of either influencing the elections or disrupting the process on behalf of partisan sponsors.
He underscored the need to provide “security that will guarantee the safety of voters; protection of INEC officials (both regular and ad hoc staff); unimpeded movement, including access to polling units and collation centres for election officials, accredited polling agents, observers and the media.”
He also spoke on the need to “effectively and dispassionately dealing with disruptive behaviour by some political actors and persons acting on their behalf; enforcement of the restriction of movement in both states on election day; and the prompt arrest and prosecution of offenders.
“There are already warning signals in the two states. Both are politically volatile. Elections have been severally disrupted by violence in the past. Our own risk assessment which will be shared with the security agencies at this meeting has identified some flash points.
“We are also concerned that thugs have been mobilised from within and outside the states with the aim of either influencing the elections or disrupting the process on behalf of partisan sponsors. This calls for a robust response before the elections, on Election Day and during the process of collation and declaration of results.
“Nigerians expect that by now we have learnt enough lessons from previous elections to ensure a swift security response to the increasing desperation by political actors to disrupt elections and subvert the will of the electorate. If that happens, many Nigerians will blame the electoral umpire and the security agencies. We must continue to rise to this challenge.
“On our part, INEC is committed to the integrity of the process. Over the last seven months, we have been working assiduously to ensure that we conduct credible elections. We cannot undermine the processes we have so laboriously established.
Also, speaking at during the meeting the police boss said, “The police as the lead agency for internal security are ready for the election in Bayelsa and Kogi. We are aware of the security challenges in the two states and we have made adequate provisions in terms of personnel and logistics to tackle any security challenge we might face.
“In Bayelsa, we are deploying 31,041 personnel to cover the election; in Kogi, we are deploying 35,200 personnel.
“These personnel are to cover every terrain in both states, no tout will be allowed in to disrupt election, all those areas will be manned,” he said.
Adamu said the security of INEC officials and materials are guaranteed and the states’ INEC offices will be protected, noting that ward collation centres and polling units would be adequately protected as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) offices where the materials will be kept.
