WITH less than 23 days to the conduct of September 22 governorship poll, the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr Ibrahim Idris, on Thursday, in Osogbo issued stern warning to gubernatorial candidates of the 48 political parties and other stakeholders partaking in the exercise to desist from conducts, capable of precipitating violence, sagging anybody that engage in acts capable of thwarting peace would face full wrath of law.
He declared that “let me use this opportunity to advise politicians and their supporters to desist from certain conducts which will precipitate violence and actions that may lead to both local and international observers from adjudging our elections as not credible.
Idris handed down these warnings at a one-day seminar, titled “Imperativeness of Police Collaboration With Essential Stakeholders: Towards Secured, Free, Fair and Credible Elections in Nigeria”
At the seminar, which was convened by the IG, attended by traditional rulers, standard bearers of political parties in the forthcoming poll, security agencies, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), he listed actions that would not be condoned by the Police to include “arming of political thugs and making hate speeches before, during and after the election.”
“Other unlawful conducts include but not limited to “canvassing/solicitation for votes, wearing of party insignia, dissuading voters from voting for candidates of their own choice, loitering, blaring of the siren on the day of the election. Disrespecting police officers and disobeying the restriction of movement orders on the day of elections as well as moving about by government officials with their security aides”, Idris posited.
While advancing reasons for the deployment of 30, 000 police officers to provide security during the last governorship poll in Ekiti, the IG contended that “what the critics do not understand is that our actions and deployment strategies are guarded by intelligence gathered around a particular election. No two states are similar in terms of security needs for elections.”
ALSO READ: Failure to pay workers’ wages ungodly, Adeleke tells Aregbesola
According to Idris, “you are all living witnesses to what happened in Rivers State on the 18th od August 2018, during INEC elections to fill a vacant seat at the Rivers State House of Assembly. Political thugs and hoodlums stormed polling stations, shot sporadically and snatched ballot boxes as a result of which the election was suspended”.
In his remark, the chairman of the seminar, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede said “elections are not expected to be do-or-die affairs” pointing out that the initiative of the IG to convene the seminar must be commended.
Addressing the stakeholders at the seminar, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Synington called for the collaboration of all and sundry to ensure the conduct of a credible, fair and peaceful poll
Dignitaries at the the seminar include the standard bearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Gboyega Isiaka Oyetola, the flag bearer of the Restoration Party of Nigeria, Mrs Mercy Ayodele and the chairman of the SDP in Osun State, Dr Bayo Faforji
Traditional rulers sighted who attended the event include the Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, the Oloba Ile of Oba-Ile and host of others
and then