The Nigeria Police Force and Nigerian Army have pledged adequate preparedness to forestall security breach in Saturday (today’s) governorship poll in Anambra State.
Commissioner of Police and Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba assured residents that the security set up ahead of the governorship election is intact.
“The entire security arrangement that we’ve already put in place remains intact,” Mr Mba said on Friday on a monitored Channels Television programme.
“Our men are fully on the ground; we made a pledge with the people of Anambra state and that pledge is that we will remain politically neutral in the course of our duties in the state. We also pledged to provide a level playing field for all political actors to play out their political games and exercise their franchise without hindrance”.
The Police PRO also spoke to the redeployment of the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Joseph Egbunike, to the Federal Capital Territory, on the even of the highly anticipated election.
Egbunike had been deployed to Anambra State as the coordinator of the security component for the elections on October 26 and according to Mr Mba, the fact that the DIG was from Anambra State had its own pros and cons.
He, however, noted that deployment had already served its purpose.
Speaking further, the PPRO assured the people of Anambra State that the security personnel will be “friendly and citizen-oriented”.
“We don’t want our presence to be a deterrent but a factor that would build confidence in citizens,” he added.
We remain apolitical – Army
The Nigerian Army on its part said it remained apolitical and will carry out its constitutional role of aiding civil authority to provide internal security without bias.
The army’s position was contained in a statement on Thursday by Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations.
In the statement, Nwachukwu said that the force has again noted the desperation of conflict merchants to discredit its constitutional duties.
“The mischief-makers, using social media, shared a video alleging that soldiers were escorting buses filled with fake voters into Anambra State.
“Even though such despicable propaganda images can easily be punctured by any keen observer, for the sake of posterity, we wish to state without equivocation that no soldier of the Nigerian Army indulged in escorting fake voters into Anambra State.
“Contrary to the misleading information, the buses in question were conveying INEC permanent and ad-hoc staff for election tasks in Anambra State.
“The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture has corroborated this position. We, therefore, urge the general public to please disregard the report, as it is clearly misinformation,” the army spokesman explained.
He further noted that the army’s duty in Anambra is purely security-related and in support of the Nigeria Police, the lead security agency in the electioneering security architecture.
According to him, this is done in collaboration with other security agencies to ensure a safe and secure atmosphere for the peaceful conduct of elections.
“Our troops are guided by extant provisions of Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) Personnel Code of Conduct during elections and the provisions of Armed Forces Act CAP A20 LFN 2004. We shall continue to operate along these lines to ensure that peace and security reign in our country.
“We will remain apolitical and very professional in deeds and conduct for the growth and development of democracy in Nigeria. We also encourage the political gladiators to refrain from dragging the Nigerian Army and indeed the Armed Forces of Nigeria into the murky waters of politics.
“We assure all Nigerians that the NA remains resolute in carrying out her constitutional duties,” he added.
The army through its spokesman urged the people of Anambra not to panic, stressing that the military sincerely appreciates the citizens for being law-abiding and supporting the joint security agencies who are toiling relentlessly to ensure peace and security in the state.