Mutiu Agboke, the Oyo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, on Thursday appealed to security agencies in the state to live up to their responsibility before, during and after the general elections.
Mr Agboke made the appeal during an Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security meeting at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, headquarters in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting was convened to seek the support of security agencies and keep them abreast of the preparedness of the commission for the general elections.
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According to him, the strategic importance of the meeting is to provide security for the “entire gamut” of the electoral process.
He said the function of the committee includes: Provision of adequate security at the local and state offices of INEC, identification of flashpoints and sponsors of electoral violence.
“Others are securing movement of electoral and voting materials from INEC state office to local government areas up to registration area centres to the polling units.
“Prompt arrival of personnel and materials to the polling units and ensuring a peaceful voting environment for voters and observers.
“Also securing movement of results of voting from polling units to other levels of collation and securing the registration area centres where corps members recruited to serve as presiding officers will be camped overnight.’’
He implored security agents to sustain the supportive efforts at making the general elections violence free.
Mr Agboke also said that INEC had intensified its voter education programme to sensitise members of the public on the need to be actively involved in the electoral processes.
He urged the electorate to guard against voter apathy and vote buying and selling.
Abiodun Odunde, the Commissioner of Police in the state, who is also the Chairman of the Committee, promised that security operatives would perform their constitutional duties optimally, for the success of the elections.
NAN reports that representatives of the Nigerian Army, Department of State Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Immigration, Nigerian Prisons Service, Federal Road Safety Commission and National Youth Service Corps were in attendance.
NAN
