CSOs condemns police invasion of INEC office over bomb scare

THE Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) has condemned the recent invasion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Anambra state by the Nigerian Police following a report on bomb scare which later turned out to be a hoax.

It said the inability of the police to consult or give an explanation to the commission on the reason behind the entrance into its premises without invitation might have collapsed the Inter-Agency Committee on election security.

Briefing newsmen in Awka on Thursday on a first preliminary report on the election, the Convener, Clement Nwankwo, said the body was also concerned about the massive redeployment of police personnel from the State, starting from the Commissioner of Police right down to Divisional Police Officers.

“These redeployments ostensibly brings in new police personnel who are put out as non-partisan, but raises questions about whether they have new loyalties that could undermine the impartiality of the police,” he said.

He disclosed that over 70 Civil Society Organizations represented in the Situation Room and observers distributed across the 21 local government areas of the State, was a deliberate attempt to have a very wide coverage and observation of the election.

According to Nwankwo, the Situation Room would be observing the elections looking at the activities of key election stakeholders as well as receiving reports of observation and incidents from the field.

While commending the Nigeria Police for deploying its personnel to provide security for the exercise, he urged them to exercise restraint in dealing with voters and avoid acts of intimidation, inappropriate use of force and other acts capable of undermining the electoral process.

He also called on eligible voters in the state to come out on Saturday to freely exercise their franchise, just as he called on INEC to deliver on its promise of conducting credible elections in line with its constitutional responsibility.

“Situation Room calls on the political parties to conduct themselves in a manner that does not encourage violence by their supporters, as they will be held liable for their activities that trigger violence.

“Situation Room will take every step to ensure unbiased observation of the Anambra State Governorship election and will maintain the highest possible standards of election observation and support to the electoral process,” he added.