THE COMMISSION HAS FOCUSED ON THREATS SPECIFIC TO GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS – INEC BOSS
….As NSA urges Security Agents to sustain commendable efforts during theAnambra State elections in the FCT Area Council Election.
Oru Leonard
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the Commission has focused on threats specific to geographical locations.
Chairman of the Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who gave the assurance at the opening of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Abuja,
“The Commission has identified likely security threats to the election and shared the same with security agencies for swift and effective action using its technology driven Election Risk Management tool, the Election Violence Mitigation and Advocacy Tool (EVMAT).
“The aim is to identify early warning signals that could assist the security agencies and other stakeholders in devising and deploying appropriate mitigation strategies.
“Among other areas of concern, the Commission focused on threats specific to geographical locations, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, the issue of hard drugs, presence of insurgents and armed groups, intra and inter-party conflicts, and incidents of hate speech”, said Professor Yakubu, who also doubles as Co-Chairman of ICCES.
On FCT Election, Professor Yakubu assured residents of security as threats are being addressed and called on political parties to adhere to the Commission’s Timelines and Timetable and Schedule of activities for other bye elections as well as the end of tenure governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states scheduled for June and July 2022, respectively.
On the Ekiti election, the INEC Boss disclosed that all 18 political parties served notices for their party primaries to elect their candidates for the election and invited the Commission to monitor them. One party adopted the direct method for electing its candidate while 16 parties opted for the indirect method. However, from our field report, the Boot Party (BP) did not hold its primary election at any venue known to, and monitored by, the Commission. “Consequently, we do not expect the party to nominate a candidate for the Ekiti State Governorship election”, he added.
Speaking, the National Security Adviser (NSA) and Co-Chairman of ICCES, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno, represented by Gilbert Tobin, commended security agencies for their level of professionalism exhibited in the Anambra State Governorship Election and urged them to sustain the same in the FCT Area Council Election.
