Ekiti election: Police promise secure, peaceful poll

The Supervising Deputy Inspector-General of Police for the Ekiti State governorship election, Mustapha Fayoade, has assured voters, electoral officials and other stakeholders of adequate security before, during and after Saturday’s poll.

Fayoade said that “the Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with other security agencies, has put in place robust security arrangements, including adequate deployment of personnel and logistics”.

The Supervising DIG gave the assurance on Thursday evening in Ado Ekiti during an engagement with police officers and other security stakeholders ahead of the election.

He urged security personnel deployed for the exercise “to exhibit the highest level of professionalism, discipline, and respect for the rule of law in the discharge of their duties”.

Fayoade also stressed the importance of synergy, collaboration and mutual support among security agencies participating in election security operations.

He further called on members of the public, political actors and other stakeholders “to cooperate fully with security agencies, remain law-abiding and contribute to a peaceful electoral environment”.

Fayoade is being assisted in the assignment by Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Dr Olanrewaju Ogunlowo.

The two senior officers were deployed by the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to oversee and coordinate security operations for the election and ensure a peaceful, credible and violence-free electoral process.

Reiterating the police preparedness for the poll, the Supervising DIG assured that adequate security arrangements were in place “to ensure the safety of voters, electoral officials, and election materials before, during, and after the election”.

Earlier, the Ekiti State Election Commissioner of Police, Dr Abayomi Shogunle, who assumed duty two days ago, had assured residents that the police had put in place a multi-layered security framework to ensure a hitch-free election in the state.