Ahead of the 2023 general election, the Nigeria Police Force has vowed to deal with any individual or political party that intends to cause violence in Kogi State.
The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, CP Adeshina Yusuf, disclosed this on Tuesday at stakeholders meeting on election security held in Lokoja, the state capital.
CP Yusuf, who described the meeting as timely, said the command, in collaboration with other security agencies, has resolved to ensure a transparent and peaceful election in 2023.
He admonished Kogites to unite irrespective of their religious or political affiliation, assuring that the police would remain neutral in the 2023 election.
He expressed the command’s awareness of petitions written on the activities of some disgruntled element causing havoc in some areas of Kogi State, adding that the police will work round the clock to bring them to book.
Describing it as a collective assignment for a free and fair election, the Commissioner warned youths not to be used by fraudulent politicians for their selfish interests.
In his remark, the Residents Electoral Commissioner (REC) Gabriel Longpet told the gathering that INEC is fully prepared for the 2023 election adding that, the commission can’t achieve a transparent, free and fair election without the support of security agencies and critical stakeholders in the state.
He hinted that the commission had reports of various incidents in the state, which, according to him, do not speak well for the people.
Lamenting on voters’ apathy recorded in the past, the INEC REC admonished political parties not to venture into violence but focus on issues-based campaigns in the 2023 election.
Longpet stressed that nobody could stop political parties from campaigning if they were doing it within the ambit of the law.
While noting that INEC has introduced a lot of technology to achieve a transparent electioneering process, Longpet urged political parties to be civil and work in accordance with the peace accords signed in the country.
He wants political gladiators to play by the rule, adding that they should report to security agencies any nuisance that intends to cause mayhem in the state.
