The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has called for orderliness in the Edo State governorship election holding this Saturday, urging voters to simply cast their votes and return home.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Frank Mba, made the call in an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Political Today’ on Friday night, which was monitored by our Correspondent.
He warned that only accredited voters would be allowed to move around, adding that eligible individuals should simply “cast their votes and return home.”
“Tomorrow it is important for parents and for everybody to know that if you are not accredited to carry out any of the functions related to the election, you should not be out on the street. Just come, go out there, perform your civic duties, cast your vote and return to your home,” DIG Mba said.
The top Police officer also disclosed that the Police Force has put everything in place for a smooth election in Edo State, cautioning voters and political party officials to desist from vote selling and buying, as it is one of the most difficult offences to detect.
Mba, however, assured that offenders would be severely punished.
“I will say all is set, we have done our deployments, and we have taken care of all our concerns. We have made provisions for tomorrow (Saturday), we have taken care of INEC headquarters, the RAC centres and anticipated operations for tomorrow, and so we are good to go.
“Vote buying is one of the most difficult offences to actually police and manage and I am saying this with every sense of honesty,” Mba said.
“The reason is simple, the bulk of vote buying and selling that takes place don’t take place in the glare of the public, in the glare of the media, in the glare of the law enforcement agents. Sometimes, they take place in the bedrooms of citizens and we don’t have the capacity to police every bedroom, every kitchen, every toilet and every balcony.
“But our pledge is that the ones that happen in the glare of the public, the ones our security network are able to detect and intercept, we will deal with them,” he added.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Edo State Police Command arrested two political thugs in overnight raid hours before the commencement of the governorship election.
This highlights the efforts and commitment of the Police Force towards curbing electoral violence in the exercise.
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