Ahead of the Ondo state gubernatorial elections slated for Saturday, 16th November 2024, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, assured the public of the readiness of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure a peaceful and orderly election process across all 18 Local Government Areas, 203 Wards, and 3,933 Polling Units in the state.
He confirmed that comprehensive plans have been set in motion to guarantee a smooth election, including the strategic deployment of adequate personnel, resources, and state-of-the-art equipment.
The deployment will see officers from various specialized units, including the Special Intervention Squad, Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Protection Unit (SPU), Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit, K-9 Unit, Federal Investigation and Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), and Federal Intelligence and Security Task Force (FID-STS), working in concert with other security agencies.
In addition to ground personnel, aerial patrols will be conducted with police helicopters, while gunboats will patrol the state’s waterways and riverine areas to ensure security across all terrains. These comprehensive measures will serve as a deterrent to any attempt to disrupt the electoral process and will enhance the overall stability of the elections.
He also emphasized that no quasi-security organization, including state-backed groups like Vigilante Corps or Amotekun, will be permitted to participate in the election process, maintaining that the security of this election is a responsibility entrusted solely to the Nigeria Police Force and other federal security agencies, along with the broader membership of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
“On the face of it, therefore, it would seem highly unlikely for any unforeseen threat element to arise, that would mar the election exercise in anyway, without being controlled or contained. But can the Police Force beat its chest and guarantee that there would not be a repeat performance of what was witnessed in Edo state where there were confirmed reports that the election was characterised by manipulation of votes, intimidation of poll officials by thugs, vote-buying, fights between APC and PDP agents such that in some areas they were not even allowed to go into the collation centres to collate the results, and other significant irregularities that undermined the credibility of the results? Mind you, the Police Chief had announced comprehensive security measures in the state to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible electoral process.
“In examining the level of security preparedness for the elections in Ondo, we must understand the context of security as it applies to the state. According to an analysis undertaken by Beacon Security and Intelligence Ltd, Ondo state occupies the fourth position among the six states in the western region in terms of security incidents and ranks second in terms of abductions and kidnappings. These acts are said to be perpetrated by terror groups from Kogi and Edo states.
“There are local and criminal gangs that exist in the state alongside cult groups and militant components agitating one way or another. Added to that are itinerant herdsmen who have, in the not too distant past, threatened the peace in the state and others in the region, which led to the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, responsible for curbing insecurity in the region. It is in this context that the elections are going to hold,” he said.
On guarantees that the security architecture emplaced ahead of the elections would significantly minimise the occurrence of violence and other election-related infractions, he said, “One of the problems is that there is no confidence in the election umpires and in the security agencies. Politicians will always be politicians, seeking to serve their own interests rather than that of the people, and as a result, try to manipulate things in their favour. Unfortunately, security agencies collaborate with them, especially where there is an incumbent in the race.
The ICCES as the principal instrument for provision of security during elections, comes in here. Interestingly, it is chaired by the IGP and the National Security Adviser (NSA), with INEC playing a supporting role. Before elections, the ICCES conducts an assessment to help envisage possible outcomes.
“However these assessments are faulty because they do not use data and intelligence to identify the threat elements and the risk exposure associated with the elections. Imagine conducting elections amidst prevailing economic circumstances, and the high cost of living standards that Nigerians have to grapple with. How easy it will be to incentivize the electorate!
“Assessments should be conducted scientifically and roles and responsibilities given to to the members of the committee. At the end of the elections, a monitoring and evaluation process should be conducted to identify gaps and mistakes that occurred so that in subsequent elections the lessons from the previous ones will be corrected.
“Unfortunately, these are not being done, and even when they are done they are not done effectively and efficiently. We are not learning from our mistakes because we do not have a process in place that allows for a holistic view of what took place.
“But perhaps the Ondo elections might be different, and we can dare to hope for credible, free, fair, transparent and violence -free elections in every sense of the word”, he said.
