BENIN CITY-Edo Police Command said it will not allow any body, party or group to disrupt the ongoing peaceful process towards a free, fair and credible governorship election in the state.
The Commissioner of Police in Edo State Mr Chris Ezike spoke at a one-day security/political stakeholders forum held in Benin City, last week.
Mr Ezike maintained that good leadership and governance stem from the credibility of the emergence process however underscored the need to protect the current peaceful electioneering process towards September 10 governorship election in Edo.
“We shall not allow the process to be contaminated and/or tainted with thuggery, brigandage and violence.
“Use of firearms and other offensive weapons remain prohibited, as infractions will obviously be visited with consequences”. CP Ezike noted.
He commended the 19 political parties participating in the forthcoming governorship election for the peaceful conduct of their primaries.
“Let me use this opportunity to congratulate the 19 political parties for the peaceful conduct of the primaries…
“We are happy that despite the anxiety, permutations and expectations, something novel come out of the exercise”. He stated.
COMPOL Ezike however enjoined all political stakeholders to ensure that the peaceful atmosphere is sustained during and after the electioneering campaign phase.
“I would enjoin all the parties and their candidates to play by the rules so as not to truncate or derail the peaceful atmosphere we have all collectively laboured to achieve thus far.
“Hate speeches and hate conducts evoke the sensibilities of our harmonious living and must be eschewed /avoided during the electioneering campaigns”. The police chief maintained.
Mr Chris Ezike disclosed that an ad hoc committee made up of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Police, DSS, NDLEA, NPS, NCS, FRSC, NOA, NYSC, NSCDC, NIS and the military under INEC in the state has been constituted as the clearing house of the election security matters.
The committee christened Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) is chaired by the state police commissioner Mr Chris Ezike.
