The police and other security agencies began a show of force across major town in Ekiti State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state, Peoples Gazette reports
The Gazette reporters on election duty in the state Friday afternoon saw operatives of the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Army, the SSS, and other sister security agents parading the major streets of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The exercise started from the police headquarters on the Old Iyin road.
The show of force is part of the means by the security agents to quell any kind of violence during and after the election exercise.
Security agents were blaring sirens of their vehicles intermittently, as they moved en masse along the major roads, The Gazette observed.
No less than 30 patrol vehicles, including Armoured Personnel Carriers, loaded with armed personnel from the various security agencies, moved around.
Their patrol also caused traffic congestion along the ever-busy Ejigbo, Adebayo and Okesa roads for several hours while motorists sought alternative routes.
Johnson Kokumo, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, who is in charge of policing the Ekiti election, said over 17,000 personnel have been deployed for Saturday’s election.
Mr Kokumo said the officers have already been moved to the over 2,000 polling units, where the election would hold on Saturday.
He, however, explained that the police have also withdrawn the orderly of politicians that would participate in the poll, to avoid any abuse of power.
While expressing the commitment of the police to ensuring the election was violence-free, fair, and credible, Mr Kokumo asked the voters in the state to come out en masse and cast their votes without any fear of intimidation.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office on Bank Road in Ado, also witnessed the heavy presence of armed policemen and intelligence personnel.
The Gazette’s reporters, who were at the premises of the commission, saw the ad-hoc staff already preparing to move the election materials to the various LGAs.
Already, the general mood in the state was calm as many of the residents were going about their activities.
A dozen of the residents, who spoke to The Gazette, said they are in high spirits ahead of the polls, just as they nurse the hope of seeing their votes count, despite the presence of heavy security agents in the state.
“The only fear I have for tomorrow’s (Saturday) election is how my vote will count. I have promised to vote my conscience in this election,” said Olumide Olusegun, one of the residents.
Though there are 16 political party candidates for Saturday’s election, the quest for the top job in the state has been dubbed a two-horse race.
The race is now between the candidate of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), Abiodun Oyebanji, and, that of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Segun Oni.
