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Tag: Polls

  • FCT polls: Police relax movement restriction

    FCT polls: Police relax movement restriction

    The Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has relaxed its earlier announced movement restriction during the Feb. 12 Area Councils elections in the territory.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the FCT, DSP Josephine Adeh made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

    She called on FCT residents to go about their normal legitimate business without the fear of harassment or molestation of any kind.

    Adeh pledged the commitment of the command to provide watertight security before, during and after the election.

    She urged members of the public to go out in their numbers to vote for candidates of their choice.

    Adeh enjoined residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious or abnormal occurrence to the Police through 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653 and 08028940883.

  • LG polls: Ex-lawmaker laments voter apathy in Jos North LGA

    LG polls: Ex-lawmaker laments voter apathy in Jos North LGA

    A former member of the House of Representatives that represented Jos North/Bassa constituency, Suleiman Kwande, has lamented low turnout of voters in Saturday’s Local Government election in the state.

    Kwande,who stated this while casting his vote at the Hill Station polling unit, however, described the election as peaceful.

    He urged the citizens to always come out and vote during elections to enable them to elect leaders of their choice.

    He also urged the people to remain peaceful during and after the polls.

    The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the election was characterised by voter apathy in most parts of Jos North Local Government Area as most people stayed away from the polling units.

    In some polling units in Hill Station Junction, Farin Gada, Jenta Adamu, Apata, Tudun Wada and Hwolshe, few or no voters were seen,as at the time our correspondent visited the areas.

    Some of the voter registers had recorded one vote cast, others had 3 while some did not record any vote at all,as at the time of the visit.

    Similarly, there was poor turnout in some units such as Busabuji, Laranto, St Murumba and a host of others.

    Miss Helen Amos, a resident of Hill Station, blamed the poor turnout on the alleged non inclusion of other political parties in the election.

    “I don’t see why people would go out to vote when it is only one party that is participating and clearly almost everyone has rejected the candidates.

    “We feel disenfranchised by the non inclusion of the party of our choice, this is not the kind of democracy we want,” Amos said.

    NAN,however, reports that there was turnout of voters in some parts of Kwararafa, Konan Soja, Sabon Layi and other areas.

    Mrs Grace Vandapuye, a councilorship candidate in Jos North, expressed joy that the election was taking place for the first time in the area.

    Vandapuye urged elected leaders in the area to ensure that they served the people diligently and with fear of God.

  • Supplementary Elections: Police IG deploys 5 DIGs, 3 AIGs others

    Supplementary Elections: Police IG deploys 5 DIGs, 3 AIGs others

    The acting Inspector-General of Police ( I-G), Mr Mohammed Adamu, has deployed five Deputy Inspectors-General of Police ( AIGs) and three Assistant Inspectors of Police ( AIGs) to further strengthen security during the the supplementary elections on Saturday.

    Others deployed are 15 additional Commissioners of Police ( CPs) to provide supervision, direction and support to the existing security already in place in states where the elections would hold.

    A statement by the force spokesman, ACP Frank Mba disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja.

    The DIGs are: DIG Usman Tilli Abubakar, Adamawa, Yakubu Jubrin, Benue, Taiwo Lakanu, Plateau, Anthony Ogbizi, Kano and Godwin Nwobodo, Bauchi State.

    The spokesman said that out of the 15 CPs, three each were deployed to Benue and Sokoto, two each to Adamawa, Bauchi, Kano and Plateau States while Imo got one.

    Mba said that the I-G has also directed the Zonal AIGs and their respective CPs in states where elections would take place to ensure adequate security.

    Mba said the police boss charged them to remain patriotic, steadfast, professional, neutral and civil, but firm, in their conducts and actions during the elections.

    He warned politicians not to undermine the electoral process by engage in ballot box snatching, vote trading and violence of all kinds.

    Adamu also enjoined the public to cooperate with security operatives for successful conduct of the elections.

  • #NigeriaDecides2019: Over 20 killed as violence mars polls nationwide

    …as INEC reschedules elections in Rivers, Lagos and Anambra States

    No fewer than 20 people were killed across the country Saturday as violence erupted during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    The army confirmed six in Rivers State alone.

    Three of the victims died at different polling units at Okota, a suburb of Lagos, and three in Sapele, Delta State, two each in Bayelsa and Kogi States while one each was killed in Oyo and Zamfara States.

    The remaining two died on Friday during a clash between supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State.

    Sequel to the violence, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has decided to hold fresh elections in some parts of Lagos, Rivers and Anambra States.

    INEC Commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, announced the development said the move was on account of disruption.

    He said: “The commission has received reports of violence and ballot box snatching in some areas leading to the disruption of the process. We have asked the Resident Electoral Commissioners RECs and the Electoral Officials on ground to submit their firsthand reports in relation to some of these incidents. We are still receiving reports relating to incidences in some states of the federation but we have received reports relating to incidences in Akuku Toru and Bonny local government areas of Rivers state.

    “So long as the commission could not deploy in these areas, the implication is that voting did not take place in those areas and the commission will hold consultations with the relevant authorities and the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in relation to these areas and will announce the date when polls will take place in some of these areas, especially in relation to the areas as they affect the House of Representatives and Senatorial elections.

    “It is not only in Rivers that we had reports of burning of electoral materials. We have such reports from Anambra and Lagos States as well as some other places.”

    The victims in Rivers State included two brothers and a soldier.

    Sources identified one of the victims in Lagos simply as Peter. He was said to be a barber and was allegedly shot and stabbed to death at Powerline, Canal Estate in Okota by thugs who stormed the polling station in an attempt to disrupt the electoral process.

    Another was identified as Demola, a leader of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) in the area who was lynched by a mob for allegedly denying them a right to vote.

    The identity of the third man could not be immediately established, but he was stabbed to death at Last Bus Stop, Ago Okota.

    Residents alleged that the thugs first showed their intent as early as 8am when they stormed the area threatening prospective voters.

    They blamed the police and soldiers for not acting on reports about the activities of the alleged hoodlums.

    An eye witness said: “Those guys were armed with guns and cutlass. We had policemen and soldiers here and I personally told them that those guys seated under the umbrella there were thugs and not voters in this area.

    “We told them to do their job by chasing them away or arresting them but surprisingly, the security people left. They only left one police van here and the policemen inside had just stick.

    “As soon as those policemen and soldiers left, these boys started scattering everywhere. They destroyed the ballot boxes but we were able to secure the presidential ballot box because we had voted.

    “They killed one barber and injured many people here. We called the police and soldiers for reinforcement. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials ran away for their lives. Soldiers later came to rescue them.

    “But why we are angry now is that the INEC doesn’t want to continue our election. They said they will not count our votes here and we have refused. There are police and soldiers here, so, let them count the votes of our presidential election. At least, they could not scatter that.”

    Some of the hoodlums also stormed polling unit 023, Ago Palace Way, and set fire to thumb printed ballot papers.

    However, the voters fought back and the thugs fled on a motorcycle.

    One of them was however unlucky and was subsequently seized with his motorcycle which was immediately set ablaze.

    The suspect was beaten and later handed over to the police.

    Ten others were arrested also at Okota.

    The police arrested nine other suspected thugs at Somolu, Lagos for allegedly molesting voters with charms, six in Epe, three at Ajao Estate, Lagos.

    Soldiers arrested two persons at Aguda, Surulere, Lagos.

    One of the suspects Yusuf, said a politician asked him to come to a polling unit for an unknown reason.

    Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) David Folawiyo and Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu went round the city to monitor the security situation.

    Leader of OPC in Okota, Prince Osipote, denied the thugs who disrupted elections in the area. He said they were not members of the OPC.

    Addressing reporters after a meeting with his men, Muazu said a total of 23 persons were arrested in the state for attempts to disrupt the elections which he described as generally peaceful in the state.

    He said: “We went round several polling units and it was generally peaceful. We had a few cases of disruption of election process. The most important was the one at Okota where few polling units were attacked.

    “Some hoodlums went there when election was ongoing and disrupted the process. We heard the rumour that people were killed but we went there and we did not see any corpse. The DPO did not see anyone that was killed.

    “In Okota, nine suspects were arrested. They came on motorcycles and 10 of these were recovered. Okota is a very large area and we cannot deploy armed policemen to polling units. The armed policemen were far off. That was why the hoodlums were able to strike and fled before armed policemen could get there.

    “It is indeed a breach of the restriction order. I wonder where they came from but the case is under investigation and we will find out where they came from.

     

  • 2019 Elections: The Role of Security Agencies in Saturday’s Polls

    2019 Elections: The Role of Security Agencies in Saturday’s Polls

    Jonas Ike, Abuja
    It is only four days to the 2019 general elections. Already the polity as presently constituted is heated with all manner of campaign by various political parties that have fielded candidates for the election. Both the ruling All Progressives Congress APC and the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP are seriously trying to woo and sway potential voters to their side.
    The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC the nation’s electoral management body charged with the responsibly of conducting a free, fair and credible election is also not resting on its oars. In fact, the electoral body has been doing its best in terms of preparations for the smooth conduct of the elections.
    The Security agencies particularly the Nigeria Police Force is also not taking its responsibility as the leading security agency saddled with the role of protecting the integrity of the electoral process with kid gloves. As a matter of fact, the Police authorities have engaged a number of stakeholders on strategic plans to be adopted for its operatives to be deployed for the forthcoming election.
    The newly appointed Acting Inspector-General of Police IGP Mr. Mohammed Adamu has on a number of these engagements said that Police would deploy effectively its manpower in the 2019 general elections in order to ensure, free, fair and credible elections for the Presidential, National Assembly and Area Councils elections.
    There is no gainsaying that the Nigeria Police has a huge task ahead in the upcoming election.
    As the lead agency, it has the responsibility of deployment of Police personnel for election duty who are expected to act as safeguard to the ballot boxes at the polling units during and after the elections.
    The Police has to be on led alert to provide maximum security for election management officials including INEC staff, the ad-hoc staff, the voters and the polling booths. In the past elections, the reported cases of snatching of ballot boxes during elections were primarily due to the failure of the Police and other security agents to do their job.
    They are also to monitor the movement of election materials particularly the ballot papers, from one location to another both during and after the casting of votes and counting of same.
    In the Second Republic, the National Electoral Commission NEC was able to organize free and credible elections because the Police and other security agents did not compromise on their responsibilities. The same feat was repeated during the botched Third Republic when the Social Democratic Party SDP defeated the National Republican Convention NRC candidate at the Presidential election.
    The presidential candidate of the then SDP Chief MKO Abiola defeated Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the National Republic Convention NRC in that election due to the transparency of the political process supervised by the Federal Electoral Commission FEDECO at that time and the security agencies.
    Moreover, the election that ushered in the Fourth Republic which came into effect on May 29 1999 after nearly two decades of military interregnum was also free, fair and credible to some extent because the security agents particularly the Police played a neutral role in the process that midwifed it.
    At that time the then Inspector-General of Police IGP Mr Tafa Balogun was able to instill a high degree of discipline on officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force which led to the birth of the republic in that era. Other IGPs that were appointed subsequently after him also toed that same part of honour and it was a smooth sail for them during elections.
    However, in the 2007, 2011 and 2015 general elections, the Police, the Army and other security agents were massively deployed in such a way that many voters were disenfranchised and they constituted a clog to the smooth conduct of these elections.
    Even President Umar Musa Yar’adua who won the 2007 Presidential election on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP had admitted on a national television that the election that produced him as President was flawed. He however promised to reform the electoral process.
    This same scenario which was replicated in the 2018 Ekiti and Osun States gubernatorial election won by candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC is now hunting the nation and hanging on its neck like an albatross.
    The 2019 general elections is an acid test on the reforms so far enunciated in the nation’s electoral process. The newly appointed Inspector-General of Police Mr Mohammed Adamu has repeatedly assured the nation of his resolve to ensure that a free, fair and credible election is the hallmark of this 2019 elections.
    Now that the ball is the court of the IGP, it is his responsibility to walk the talk by effectively deploying his officers and men for the smooth conduct of the election. Any attempt by the new Police boss to compromise in the onerous task ahead would make nonsense of all the reforms enunciated and carrier out by past leaders in the nation’s electoral umpire INEC in the last two decades.
  • Security cordon thrown on Ekiti as governorship poll commences

    Security cordon thrown on Ekiti as governorship poll commences

    A security cordon has been thrown on Ekiti as the simultaneous accreditation and voting process is set to commence in Saturday’s governorship election.

    Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) spread across the three senatorial districts report that armed policemen and personnel of sister security agencies such as the NSCDC, NDLEA and the FRSC were sighted at strategic locations.

    In Ikere-Ekiti, home town of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) candidate, Prof. Olusola Kolapo, there was heavy security presence, with personnel of the police and NSCDC keeping vigil on the fringes of polling units.

    At the Ofamofuru Polling Unit 007, Ward 02, of the PDP candidate, no fewer than 10 mobile police officers were sighted keeping vigil.

    In Isan-Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area, Ekiti North Senatorial District, where the All Progressives Congress(APC) candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, hails from, there was also heavy security presence.

    At the Polling Unit 009 Ward 11 of the APC flagbearer , no fewer than five policemen were seen maintaining law and order as at 7.30 a.m.

    There was also tight security at the Unit 2 Ward 7, Federal Housing Estate Polling Unit, in Ado-Ekiti Central Senatorial District, with five policemen sighted.

    NAN reports that the police had deployed 30,000 operatives, two helicopters and 250 patrol vehicles, including Armoured Personnel Carriers, for the election.

    The security operation for the poll would be supervised by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Operations, Joshiak Habila, who would be assisted by an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, four Commissioners of Police, eight Deputy Commissioners of Police and 18 Assistant Commissioners of Police.

    Each Senatorial district would be manned by a Commissioner of Police while no fewer than four policemen and two others from other security agencies will be on duty at each polling unit throughout the state.

    NAN further reports that Commissioners of Police and their personnel in states close to Ekiti such as Ondo, Osun, Kwara, Kogi, Ogun, Edo and Oyo had been directed to be on the red alert with their personnel.

    The Police Mobile Force Unit, Counter-Terrorism Unit, the Special Protection Unit, the Anti-Bomb Squad, the Armament Unit, Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department and the sniffer dogs section would also participate in the joint security effort.

    The police had said that a threat assessment had been carried out in the state and all identified flashpoints and trouble-prone areas had been addressed.

    Restriction on vehicular movement in and out of Ekiti State also commenced from midnight of Friday and would be in place till the end of the election while travellers and other road users were advised to make use of alternative routes.

    NAN reports that those on essential duties were, however, being granted passage.

    NAN further reports that other security and safety agencies, including the military and FRSC, who are members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in the state, would complement the police during the election.

    Already, the NSCDC had deployed 19,997 personnel for the exercise and had also ordered the deployment of mobile surveillance vehicles and sniffer dogs.

  • Court dismisses suit challenging conduct of Oyo council polls

    Court dismisses suit challenging conduct of Oyo council polls

    …as polls to hold on Saturday

    Justice Joyce Abdulmaleek of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, on Thursday dismissed a suit challenging the conduct of the Oyo State local government election on Saturday.

    The suit was instituted by some aggrieved member of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ibarapa East Local Government area of the state.

    Abdulmaleek in Thursday’s ruling held that the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) was duly constituted to conduct the election based on the powers given to it.

    “The position of the law on the jurisdiction on this matter is well settled.

    “This court is mindful of the fact that the law does not give the Federal High Court jurisdiction over local government issues.

    “The act of delineation carried out by OYSIEC which is the second defendant, in this case, is duly backed by law.

    “Therefore, this court has no jurisdiction to entertain the matter and the position of the plaintiffs is hereby struck out,’’ the judge held.

    Recall that the plaintiffs had challenged the powers of OYSIEC to carry out delineation and creation of new polling units in the state.

    Commenting on the matter after the judgment, Mr Seun Abimbola, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, said the ruling was a victory for democracy and not for any individual.

    But counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr Solomo Adeseun, could not be reached for comments.

    Others joined in the suit were the Independent National Electoral Commission, Oyo State governor and the Commissioner for Justice.

  • Insecurity: We are prepared for 2019 polls – IG

    The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, affirmed on Thursday the Force was well prepared for the 2019 general elections.

    Idris stated this during a chat with journalists in Lagos after the public presentation of his book, Security and Justice: The Pathway for Peace and Reconciliation in Nigeria.

    He said: “We are prepared for the elections. We have the men and we have the materials (logistics) to carry out our duties before, during and after the elections successfully.”

    According to the IGP, there was need for justice and reconciliation in order to enthrone meaningful development.

    Idris noted that security challenges across the country could be contained if Nigerians pursued true reconciliation and shunned inflammatory comments.

    Idris added: “The challenges we are having with this herdsmen have gone down. In Benue, we have 15 units on ground and I have been monitoring their successes.

    “I was in Benue and we have been having stakeholders’ meeting and we have been discussing.

    “Based on that, people have been coming openly to state their problems and it is through that we can understand each other and reconcile our differences.

    “The role of traditional rulers in this reconciliation process cannot be over emphasised because most of them have the ears of their people. When you have political disagreement in these communities, these traditional rulers are handy.”

    Dedicating his book to officers and men of the police, Idris said proceeds from its sale would be used to fund the security and justice initiative, a foundation being established for the promotion of peace, security and reconciliation in Nigeria.

    On why he wrote the book, the IGP said: “My experience as a police officer over the years in Nigeria, with the United Nations headquarters in New York, peace keeping operations in other countries and above all as the IGP has taught me that internal peace is a pivotal element for instituting and sustaining democratic government.

    “That justice is most needed as an instrument of reconciliation and conflict management and that the role of the judiciary and security agencies in dispensing justice is imperative in ensuring peace in any country.

    “I have watched with troubled heart the security challenges confronting this country. The challenges of Boko Haram in the North East, kidnappings and armed robberies, cattle rustling and militancy in virtually all parts of Nigeria.”

  • That PDP showcase of Delta, Ekiti council polls, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    That PDP showcase of Delta, Ekiti council polls, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    By Ehichioya Ezomon

    Recent conduct of council polls in several states, particularly that of Delta on January 6, has evoked memories of the war-like zone the 2015 general elections, and re-runs thereafter assumed in some states. It appears the governors are using the elections as “combat rehearsals” for the main contests in 2019.

    But as legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti would say, “trouble sleep, yanga go wake am…,” the spokesman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Kola Ologbondiyan, praised the Delta and Ekiti elections as reflecting the loss of goodwill by the All Progressives Congress since 2015, and challenged the party to “conduct free and fair council polls, in states it controls, in order to test its popularity.” So, Delta and Ekiti polls were “free and fair?” Wonders!

    Before Mr. Ologbondiyan’s labeling of the APC as “mortally afraid of going into any election, particularly at the grassroots” sinks, let’s remind him that winning council elections in Nigeria has nothing to do with “the goodwill of the people” or popularity; it’s all about who controls the levers of power, who appoints the election umpire, and how far the incumbent authority wants to deploy that power to its advantage.

    And especially in the run-up to the 2019 general elections, there’s desperation by state governors, across the political divide, to capture the grassroots, in hope of using same to fight their re-election (as is the case in Delta, Enugu and Akwa Ibom in 2019) or the election of their successors (in Ekiti (2018) and Kwara (2019)).

    An article, “As PDP overruns APC at Delta LG polls,” in the Delta State-owned The Pointer of Tuesday, January 13, summed up the above assumption thus: “The winning streak showed itself in Lagos, Kano and Cross River states and it would have been an aberration for Delta State to concede any councilorship seat to the opposing parties. It is a dog eat dog scenario. It has nothing to do with being a gentleman. You either crush or get crushed in the political battlefield.”

    Perhaps, fearing such a mindset, former Speaker of the Delta House of Assembly, Mr. Victor Ochei of the APC, challenged the PDP-led administration to “use the election as a test, and see how they are on the ground in Delta, by allowing materials for the election get to the field, elections held, results counted and let’s see how many seats PDP would clinch come Saturday.”

    And his word for the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC): “If they know they want to write results, they shouldn’t waste tax payers’ money in organizing an election.” This admonition came two days to the election. But what did we see on Election Day, as gleaned from “live updates” by the media? Unimaginable mayhem that culminated in bloodshed, and destruction of electoral materials and property. Check the headings below:

    * Delta Council poll: PDP boasts, vows to sweep all LGAs * Delta: Early violence, irregularities mar council polls (8.57 am) * Breaking News: Gunmen attack Ughelli DSIEC secretariat, set building ablaze, fire shots sporadically (9.09 am) * Returning officer for Delta LG election missing in Ayakoromo community (1.00 pm) * Delta LG Election latest: Hoodlums batter presiding officer in Burutu (2.02 pm) * Delta LG Election update: Election materials yet to arrive Riverine areas (2.45 pm) * Delta LG polls: Tragedy as DSIEC ad hoc staff killed (4.16 pm).

    However, a major complaint was alleged absence of “genuine,” but availability of “fake” result sheets. In a situation like this, what did Mr. Ologbondiyan expect from the election? It’s what the DSIEC announced: “Moon-slide victory” for the PDP. As results were trickling in, the APC slammed the election as a “sham” and called for its cancellation, and a re-run.

    The sore point in Delta was the failure to take Mr. Ochei’s bait and allow free, fair, and credible election. Prior to voting, the PDP had a head start of 57 unopposed councilorship seats. And with its incumbency factor, the party could still have got a “landslide” triumph without the violent bravado that characterized the poll.

    In Ekiti, given Governor Ayodele Fayose’s electoral theory of “100% of 100” (PDP must win all seats), the APC tactically avoided being rubbished by boycotting the EKSIEC-organized exercise. And the final result was a PDP roller coaster (100% of 100) over other parties.

    The council elections in Enugu and Akwa Ibom States did not fair better except in minimized violence. In Enugu, after the ENSIEC, exercising “illegal powers,” initially disqualified 73 APC candidates, but reinstated them on the eve of the election, the PDP scored “100% of 100,” with the APC crying foul. And in Akwa Ibom, the APC had to “withdraw” midway into the balloting “due to its flawed process.” Unprecedentedly, the AKISIEC announced the results through a three-paragraph statement, with the PDP clearing all seats.

    The shenanigans in council polls are not limited to the PDP, as the ruling APC in Kwara State secured 100 per cent chairmanship seats in the contest the KWASIEC organized, even as the PDP denounced the conclusion.

    As for the APC “deluding itself that it can still win elections in the country, as it did in 2015,” according to Mr. Ologbondiyan, how many of the elections conducted by the INEC did PDP, which has “gained Nigerians’ goodwill,” win in Edo, Ondo and Anambra States? He needs his memory refreshed: that the APC won Edo and Ondo, and came second to the APGA in Anambra. That’s the actual test of popularity!

    * Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

  • Kwara won’t use card readers for November council polls – KWASEIC

    Kwara won’t use card readers for November council polls – KWASEIC

    The Kwara State lndependent Electoral Commission on Friday said it would not use card readers for the forthcoming council polls in the state.

    The commission’s Chairman, Dr AbdukRahman Ajidagba, announced this at a meeting with representatives of registered political parties in his office in Ilorin on Friday.

    The chairmanship and councillorship elections into the 16 local governments have been scheduled for Nov. 4.

    Ajidagba said the state was not financially buoyant to acquire card readers for the council polls.

    “We abandoned the use of card readers for the local government elections to avoid hitches that may occur from the machines while the elections are in progress.”

    The Kwara electoral commission boss, however, promised a credible, reliable and fair election even without the card readers.

    Ajibagba, who described the political parties as the major players in the conduct of the election, solicited their cooperation and support for the success of the exercise.

    He also advised the representatives of the parties not to incite the electorate before, during and after the elections, saying no credible poll could be achieved in an atmosphere of chaos and acrimony or violence.

    He said the commission would soon release the time table for the polls to enable stakeholders to fully prepare for the exercise.

    Speaking on behalf of the parties, Mr Theophlius Sunday, the Vice-Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party and former Chairman of Moro Council, assured the commission of their readiness to ensure a successful poll.

    Representatives of 30 political parties attended the meeting.

     

    (NAN)