Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, said on Wednesday, September 11, that about 35, 000 security personnel will be deployed to provide security cover for the September 21 governorship elections in Edo state.

This is in addition to about 80,000 other security personnel drawn from other sister security agencies.

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Benin, Egbetokun disclosed that no local security outfits operating in the state will be allowed to be part of the election, adding that their operations remained suspended.

The IGP spoke just as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the commission was ready to conduct a free, fair, and transparent election.

According to the Police boss, the Nigerian Police was solely responsible for the management of election security working in collaboration with other national security agencies under the purview of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

Egbetokun warned that any individual or group engaging in unauthorised security functions before, during and after the election would face immediate arrest and prosecution, and potential troublemakers contemplating disruptive actions during the election to abandon such intentions.

He said: “In this election, the police will be deploying 35,000 personnel and this will be complemented by over 80,000 members of the armed forces and other security agencies.

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“The security forces will not tolerate any form of political thuggery, violence or hooliganism. Any attempt to undermine the electoral process will be met with swift and decisive action. I want to emphasise that the management of elections security is solely the responsibility of the Nigerian police force and other national security agencies within ICCES.

“This responsibility does not extend to local security entities or non-state actors. I hereby direct all local security apparatus within Edo state to refrain from interfering with election security functions.

“Any individual or group engaging in unauthorised security functions will face immediate arrest and prosecution. In this regard, the activities of the Edo State Security Corps which has been suspended, remain suspended until further notice.

“Movements of persons and vehicles will be restricted from 6 am to 6 pm on the day of the election. All orderlies and escorts to VIPs are withdrawn on the eve of the election with alternative security arrangements provided for.

“As in the past elections, the police is the lead security agency, supported by other national security agencies who will join us in ensuring the safety and security of the electoral process.

“Demonstrating our collective commitment to peaceful and credible election, we understand the vital importance of our roles and I want to assure you that we are well prepared to perform our duties with excellence.

“We will safeguard the electoral process by ensuring the safety of personnel and property including equipment that would be deployed in this election.

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“We will ensure strict compliance and enforcement of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, the Police Act 2020, and the Criminal/Penal Code, among others.

“We will provide a conducive environment for the peaceful conduct of credible elections. Our approach to election security is grafted in the principles of neutrality, professionalism and enforcement of human rights,” the IGP assured.

While assuring the smooth conduct of three elections, the INEC Chairman said sensitive materials for the election would arrive in Edo state next week and be warehoused in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Explaining steps so far taken to ensure a successful election, Prof Yakubu said “On the part of INEC, active preparations for the election started last year with the release of the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election as required by law.

“Overall, 13 statutory activities were listed beginning with the publication of the Notice of Election and ending with the Election Day. This document has been widely publicised and as a reminder, we have included it in the information booklet circulated at this meeting.

“As you can see from the timetable for the election, the commission has so far implemented 11 out of the 13 activities on schedule. As of today, we have only two outstanding activities.

“These are the last days of the campaign by political parties which, according to law, ends 24 hours before the date fixed for the elections i.e. at midnight on Thursday 19th September 2024, and Election Day on Saturday 21st September 2024.

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“We have already published the final list of candidates. However, there are two adjustments to the list. By court order, the commission has replaced the running mate with the candidate of the Labour Party.

“Similarly, the National Rescue Movement (NRM) which could not file its nomination on schedule has obtained a court order to compel the commission to include the party on the ballot.

“We have complied with the court order. Consequently, 18 political parties are now participating in the 2024 Edo State Governorship election. The updated list of parties and candidates is contained in the information booklet circulated at this meeting.

“Following the conclusion of the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Edo State and the cleaning up of the data, 184,438 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) were delivered to Edo state.

“This figure is made up of 119,206 new voters and 65,232 verified applications for transfer into Edo from other states of the Federation, transfer within Edo state, cards reprinted after corrections of personal details or the replacement of lost or damaged cards as provided by law.

“We have already published the details on our website for public information. I must commend all stakeholders in Edo State for the level of mobilisation for the voter registration and collection of PVCs.

“As already announced by the Commission, Edo state now has a total of 2,629,025 registered voters. In our commitment to transparency, the commission has made available softcopies of the entire register of voters to each political party fielding candidates in the forthcoming election.

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“In the next few days, the commission will publish the detailed breakdown of PVCs collected for each of the 4,519 Polling Units across the State.

“Meanwhile, all uncollected PVCs will be mopped up from the 18 Local Government Areas and warehoused in the Central Bank of Nigeria until after the Governorship election.

“As you are aware, the election is a multi-stakeholder activity. INEC has a role to play but this must be complemented by stakeholders. The 2024 Edo state governorship election is not just a national election, it is also of global interest.

“The commission has so far accredited 134 groups (124 domestic and 10 international) deploying 1,836 observers across the State. Similarly, we have accredited 114 media organisations deploying 721 journalists.

“We have also accredited thousands of agents representing candidates and political parties at the 4,730 polling and collation locations made up of 4,519 polling units, 192 Ward collation centres, 18 Local Government collation centres and the State Collation Centre.

“I want to assure you that the accreditation tags for all categories of stakeholders are ready. We will announce the date and venue for collection in the next 24 hours. Similarly, election duty vehicle stickers are available for collection from our Edo State office here in Benin City.

“In our various engagements with stakeholders at the national level, they underscored the importance of providing security during the election to guarantee their personal safety, the protection of their equipment and unimpeded access to voting and collation locations.

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“We have conveyed this concern to the security agencies at the last meeting of ICCES at the national level. We have also discussed the security of our own officials (both regular and ad hoc staff) for the election, the service providers such as transporters and, above all, the citizens who will vote during the election. I am glad that the relevant agencies have given us the necessary assurance of security during the election. We will hear more from the Inspector-General of Police shortly.

“Let me reassure stakeholders that INEC is ready for the election. We are deploying the BVAS machines for voter accreditation at polling units and the upload of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. Only yesterday, we conducted mock accreditation in 12 polling units across six Local Government Areas in the three Senatorial Districts of the State.

“The purpose was to test-run our deployment of technology to safeguard the credibility of the election. I am glad to report that the mock was successful and the result can be viewed on the IReV portal. But let me also quickly add that the machines used for the mock accreditation and the training of officials will not be used on Election Day.

“We have sufficient machines for the election which have been configured for voter accreditation and the upload of results distinct from those used for mock accreditation and training.

“For the 2024 Edo state governorship election holding next week, INEC has been open and transparent about our processes. We engaged several times with stakeholders at the national level and here in Edo state.

“We have accredited polling and collation agents and made the details public. Only yesterday, we visited some of the Local Government Areas to assess our readiness for the election. We have test-run our election technology in preparation for Election Day.

“We have arranged for the delivery of sensitive materials for the election to Edo state early next week. We will invite political parties and other stakeholders for the usual inspection of the materials at the Central Bank here in Benin ahead of the delivery to the Local Government Areas. We are leaving no stone unturned in our preparations for the election, always in consultation with the stakeholders.

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“I urge you to play your own part positively in delivering yet another credible Governorship election in Edo State. You should continue to restrain your supporters from violence and other disruptive conduct. The best way to do so is by the personal example you set as political parties and candidates both in your campaign speeches and action.”