On the postponed Edo gubernatorial election

September 12, 2016

THE reason security agencies gave which then lead to the postponement of the Edo State gubernatorial election was not tenable enough. The security agencies cited that they needed more time to provide security for the election, but what were they doing all these while since they would have been duly informed that an election would be taking place in the state on September 10?

The idea that thugs or militants could attack voting centres does also not hold water because if this is the case, then the postponement will also mean a postponement of the violence by those who had planned to perpetrate it, and that is if the intelligence report is true in the first place.

Instead of postponing elections, it is important that security agencies take their work seriously, and not use their inefficiencies to disrupt the country’s democratic process.

No matter the security arrangements put in place for the election, those who will create violence will still do so, but it is the responsibility of our security agencies to be ready at all time to nip in the bud such violence.

If security agencies are pointing to credible information that some militants plan to attack voting centres during the Edo election, how would they (security agencies) react to terrorist attacks in some parts of the country? Would they tell the terrorists to inform them of the time they want to attack, or would they tell terrorists to postpone their attacks because they are not ready? Security agencies in the country must know that being alert at all times is the hallmark of their assignment.

It is, however, an understatement that I am highly disappointed that the Edo election did not take place last Saturday.

Having said this, the Ondo State gubernatorial election will also be coming up in two months time, and it is important for our security agencies to do whatever they want to do now, as Nigerians will not tolerate further disruptions to their civic exercise in the name of unsubstantiated security reports.

It is also important for security agencies to also train their officers in countering emergency attacks. This will go a long way in making them to be ready for unforeseen incidents.