FCT Area Council election: INEC commits APC, PDP, others to peace pact, to deploy 6 RECs

Ahead of Saturday’s conduct of local councils polls in the Federal Capital Territory, the fourteen political parties to field candidates signed a peace accord on Tuesday at the instance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

At the stakeholders meeting held at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Center, Abuja, the leadership of the political parties pledged to ensure peaceful, credible and hitch-free polls.

In his opening remarks at the event, the Chairman of the INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who commended the political parties for violence-free and issued based campaigns urged them to continue to maintain peace.

He said: “The commission is encouraged by the peaceful atmosphere in the FCT. So far, there are no adverse reports of clashes between supporters of different parties and not many incidents of hate or inciting speeches during the electioneering campaign. I commend the stakeholders for their advocacy for peaceful elections. I appeal to political parties and candidates to continue to show maturity and decorum in the last few days of the campaign and on Election Day and beyond.”

Professor Yakubu further revealed that six Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and three National Commissioners would be deployed to support the FCT REC for the weekend exercise.

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The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Usman Alkali-Baba, who was represented by Basil Idigwu assured of adequate security as he said the Force will deploy tactical units drawn from the Mobile Police Force, Special Forces, Counterterrorism and Senior Officers from the Force Headquarters to provide security and monitor the election.

“Security of electoral process rests squarely with the security agencies led by the Nigeria Police Force. On the part of the Nigeria Police, efforts have been made to ensure a peaceful election.

“We shall equally engage in convoy patrol with other security agencies to ensure the protection of INEC infrastructure in all the area councils.

“We will conduct stop and search operations at strategic locations as well as other key and vulnerable points. We shall continue to conduct raids on suspected criminal hideouts.

“There shall be the deployment of additional conventional personnel from contagious states of Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna and then ensure the deployment of additional logistics to support the FCT Command,” he said.