A few days before the general election, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, expressed encouragement at the safety assurances provided by the Nigeria Police Force. He made these remarks during a meeting with the Inter‑Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security on Tuesday, the final gathering before the election’s commencement. The purpose of the meeting was to fine‑tune the security agencies’ preparations for protecting the environment in which the elections would be conducted.
Prof. Yakubu emphasized that security agencies would safeguard not only INEC staff and facilities but also voters, election observers, journalists, and others involved in the electoral process. He explained that the Nigeria Police, as the lead agency for election security, is already familiar with the delimitation details that guide the deployment of security personnel. Because the police are coordinating with other security bodies, those agencies are also aware of the delimitation framework.
“The commission is encouraged by the assurances of security in all locations where elections and electoral activities will be conducted,” Yakubu said. “Security agencies will protect our officials and facilities, accredited observers, journalists, service providers, and, above all, the voters themselves.” He added that the meeting provided an opportunity to refine preparations for safeguarding the election environment and all participants, ranging from officials and facilities to observers, national and international media representatives, transporters, and, most importantly, the voters who will cast their ballots at about 177,000 locations nationwide on Saturday.
Yakubu welcomed the participants, noting that this was the last meeting before the national elections, with a possible review before the state elections. He affirmed the commission’s commitment to creating a conducive environment for the conduct of elections while guaranteeing the safety and security of everyone involved.
In his remarks, National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno, represented by Sanusi Galadima, assured Nigerians of a free, fair, and credible election. He acknowledged rising protests and the exploitation of the country’s current situation by some individuals, urging presidential candidates to demonstrate peace. “We will ensure a peaceful transition of power to the democratically elected candidate,” Monguno said.
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