Ahead February 3 date for the conduct of bye-elections, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has appealed to heads of Security Agencies to be prepared to live up to their statutory duties in protecting the lives of the electorate in affected federal Constituencies and senatorial districts.
Professor Yakubu gave the charge on Tuesday at a meeting of the Inter- Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, (ICCES).
The INEC Chairman noted that having provided adequate logistics for seamless conduct of the elections, security agencies should ensure that the environment was secured for both INEC staff and the voters.
He said:” As you are all aware, election is a multi-stakeholder responsibility. INEC has a role to play. So too are other stakeholders. As security agencies, it is your responsibility to secure the environment to enable us deploy personnel and materials, the protection of observers, the media as well as the polling and collation agents representing the political parties and candidates. “Without a secure and peaceful environment, the conduct of credible elections is imperilled.
“From experience, the conduct of isolated elections such as bye-elections and re-run elections can be very challenging. We must pay attention to the potentials for disruptive behaviour by some candidates and their supporters. A re-run election conducted in one Polling Unit or a handful of Polling Units can be severely disrupted by acts of thuggery knowing full well that these few locations will determine the outcome of the election.
Arising from the reports we received from the States, concerns have been raised about the impact of the prevailing insecurity in some States on the conduct of the elections, made worse by incendiary statements by some political actors. We will present such concerns and reports at this meeting for appropriate security response.”
Professor Yakubu also expressed his concern over the enormous tasks before his Commission as he noted that INEC appears not to have breathing space as it is now overwhelmed with conduct of elections throughout the year.
“What many people do not realize is that there is no election season in Nigeria any longer. Elections are held throughout the year between one general election and another. This adds to the enormous pressure on both INEC and the security agencies. For instance, in addition to the bye-elections and re-run elections holding next week, the Commission has also released the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the two off-cycle Governorship elections in Edo State scheduled for 21st September 2024 and Ondo State holding on 16th November 2024.
As required by the Electoral Act 2022, party primaries and nomination of candidates shall be done not later than 180 days before the date fixed for the elections. Accordingly, party primaries for Edo State will commence next week and end three weeks later (i.e. 1st- 24th February 2024). For Ondo State, primaries will be held between 6th and 27th April 2024.
Our collective experience as election managers and security agencies shows that party primaries can sometimes be more acrimonious than general elections. Therefore, as we prepare for the bye-elections and re-run elections, we should equally be prepared for the two major elections later in this year in Edo and Ondo States.”
National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu who was represented at the event by Director, Internal Security, Hassan Yahaya Abdullahi, said the forthcoming bye elections must be held in a secured atmosphere devoid of security threats to inspire confidence and credibility in the process.
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun said the security agencies were aware of the challenges of isolated elections and assured Nigerians that they were on top of the situation.
He said the police has conducted a threat analysis in the states where the elections will take place and will deploy adequate personnel to the areas for the elections.
