The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Garba Umar, says it will deploy 28,000 of its personnel to ensure hitch-free state governorship election scheduled for November 18.
Mr. Umar said this at a meeting in Awka, the state capital, on Tuesday of heads of security formations in the state and representatives of the 37 political parties fielding candidates for the election.
He said that 400 vehicles, 100 flying boats consisting of 60 from the police and 40 from the Navy would be deployed for use by security operatives in riverine and upland communities.
Mr. Umar who also read the act guiding political parties before, during and after the election, cautioned them against defacing opposition posters, hate speeches, and other violent conducts.
He said that security operatives had identified 414 flash points of possible cases of electoral fraud and violence and had taken proactive measures to checkmate any security breech.
He said that the police and other security organisations would not spare anybody violating any law before, during and after the election.
“The police have received a number of petitions from some stakeholders that are being investigated by the political desk of the state Criminal Investigation Intelligence Department (CIID).
“Other issues that have arisen thus far are clashes in Nsugbe town between members of APGA and APC, clashes of parties on their campaigns tours at Nteje in Oyi where the PDP and APGA teams held rallies simultaneously on Oct.28, 2017,’’ he said.
Mr. Umar however noted that Anambra was peaceful and promised that any negative mindset by any politician to cause problem in the polity would be met with the stipulated legal measures.
The Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Isyaku, appealed to politicians to exercise maturity and decorum in the way and manner they attack each other on social media.
“You have many issues to talk about, the welfare of the people rather than promotion of hate speeches, abusing each other is unnecessary because that will not make you to win,’’ he said.
Chris Azor, the Anambra State Chairman of Civil Society Organisations called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure it did proper accreditation for agents of political parties for the election monitoring.
He alleged that some political parties issued fake INEC accreditation to their agents to enable them subvert the process.
The INEC Head of Media and Publicity, Leo Nkedife, said the commission was mindful of the antics of some over ambitious politicians to fake INEC accreditation, noting that more stringent measures have been adopted.
According to him, every agent of political parties must submit their particulars including passports for accreditation before being issued accreditation.
Mr. Nkedife said further that the INEC national chairman, Inspector-General of Police would hold a joint press conference on November 14 in Awka to highlight other issues before the election.
He said the conference would afford INEC the opportunity to sign MOU with various political parties on the need for peaceful, free and fair election in Anambra on November 18.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that representative of APC, APGA, PDP, and UPP at the occasion complained of the defacing of their posters and billboards.
(NAN)
