2023 elections will be free, credible ― NSA

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3 years ago

Ahead of the general elections, the National Security Adviser to the President, Major-General Babagana Monguno (Rtd) on Thursday assured that the 2023 general elections would be the freest, credible and peaceful polls in the annals of the nation’s political history.

Monguno gave the assurance in Abuja while speaking at the opening ceremony of the Election Security Management Workshop organised by the Nigeria Police Force in collaboration with Solar Security and Consult Company Limited.

He said that the conduct of the national elections in Nigeria rests squarely with the Police Force being the lead internal security agency in election management the world over.

The NSA declared that “in fulfilment of this, President Muhammadu Buhari had given directives to all security agencies to work and collaborate together in making it possible.

He pointed out that the assent to the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2022 on February 25, 2022, was a point to demonstrate the commitment of the Nigerian leader to free, fair and credible elections.

The NSA further stated that the Act had given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the financial autonomy to conduct credible polls as was witnessed in the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections recently.

According to him, “the President is committed to delivering an election that is free, fair and credible. It will be devoid of any form of wuru wuru as used in the Nigerian parlance.”

He however appealed to the heads of all the security agencies in the country to collaborate and work in synergy towards providing adequate security to the electoral process.

Speaking in the same vain, the Minister of Police Affairs Alhaji Muhammed Dingyadi declared that the federal government determined to have a free fair and credible election in 2023.

He appealed to all the nation’s security agents to conduct themselves properly so that the nation’s dream to have a credible election can augur well.

This came just as the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali said that election security management was critical to the conduct of elections in Nigeria and the world over which prompted the force under his watch to organise the workshop

He noted that over the years, there had been concerns over the ability of the Nigeria Police to manage the nation’s elections and the electoral process.

He added that there was a need to close the knowledge gap for election security personnel deployed for elections adding that these officers are expected to transfer acquired knowledge to others.

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