With the September 21 Governorship Election in Edo State just days away, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun says quasi-security outfits won’t be allowed to intervene in election security in the South-South state.
He stated this Sunday during the Edo Election Security Townhall, a programme organised by Channels Television in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative and the UK International Development.
Egbetokun said, “We will be impartial, we will be professional, and we will be vigilant whilst providing a level playing ground for all the political parties and their candidates.
“Quasi-security organisations would not be allowed to take part in this election. They will not be allowed to intervene in the election security. Just as we have done in previous elections, only the police and other security agencies will be lawfully deployed for this exercise.
“For those who may be thinking of using violence to disrupt the election, I have a warning for them. Any person or persons found bearing any offensive weapon on the day of election will be treated instantly as an armed criminal.”
Egbetokun assured citizens of the state of “peaceful outcomes”.
With the IGP’s comment, the Edo State Security Network and other state-run and private-run outfits are banned from election security next Saturday.
Also, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Frank Mba, said the IGP has not said anything out of the ordinary.
He said by convention and by practice, vigilantes are not allowed to partake in elections, according to the Electoral Act.
Mba said any quasi-security officer seen on the day of election on duty would be arrested.
The political temperature in the state has been turbocharged in the last year. Of note, 95 cases of violence including 35 incidents of electoral violence have been recorded since January this year in the state. Last week, the Peoples Democratic Party declined to sign a peace pact signed by 16 other parties fielding candidates in the poll.
Analysts have described the forthcoming poll as a three-horse race involving Asue Ighodalo of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP).
Akpata is a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA); while Ighodalo, former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG); secured the endorsement of the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki, who shunned his deputy and party man, Philip Shaibu. Shaibu and former governor Adams Oshiomhole have pledged their support for Okpebholo.
Over 2.6 million registered voters from 18 local government areas are to decide the next governor of the South-South state.
Edo is one of the eight states where governorship elections are held off-season due to litigations and court judgements. Others are Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun and Ondo.