•Police promise adequate security
Onyebuchi Ezigbo and
Yemi Akinsuyi in Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved 44 observer groups to participate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections scheduled for March 19, 2016.
The approval came after the assessment of the initial applications submitted by the groups as contained in the completed Form EPMC 01.
Some of the groups include, Centre for Civic Education, Transition Monitoring Group, (TMG) and Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution,
According to the statement issued by the commission on Tuesday, the approved observer groups are to obtain, complete and return Form EPMC 002 for the elections from the Elections and Party Monitoring Department, INEC Headquarters, Maitama, Abuja between 8a.m. to 4a.m. from Monday to Friday, starting from February 24, to March 7, 2016.
The commission also said the date for distribution of observer kits in the FCT area councils would be communicated in due course.
Meanwhile, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, has promised to provide adequate security during the area council elections.
Inalegwu made the promise during an Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting with stakeholders in the territory yesterday in Abuja.
Also, FCT INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Jacob Jatau, has assured all political parties participating in the March 19 area council elections of level playing ground.
Jatau, who was at the stakeholder meeting, said as a body and umpire, all political parties and the candidates will be given a level playing to participate in the election.
In his words: “We have monitored the campaigns by political parties and we have noticed that elections in the territory have been peaceful in the FCT. We will require the political parties to conduct themselves for the elections to be peaceful as it has been.”
He said accreditation and voting during the elections would go on simultaneously with the use of the card reader machine, adding that the decision to adopt the modality followed its success in re-run elections conducted in some states.
Jatau said accreditation and voting would begin at 8a.m and end at 2p.m, and insisted that INEC will use card readers.
While calling on FCT residents to conducts themselves well during the election, he said the commission had improved on the use of the card reader in FCT elections.
“On our part we will play according to the rule and we will want the voters to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner,” he promised.
He disclosed that the commission registered about 82,000 voters during the exercise in the territory.
In his words: “As a result of the exercise, we are able to get about 82,000 registrants and we are able to produce their PVCs which we are currently distributing”.
He urged those who have registered to go and collect their PVCs before the March 16 closing date.
Inalegwu, while addressing the stakeholders, said the command has response teams that would be strategically deployed to respond to any emergency that may arise during the election.
The commissioner warned politicians and their supporters to avoid carrying firearms and machetes to campaign venues.
He reminded them that the carrying of firearms was a serious offence in the country.
Inalegwu also warned politicians and their supporters to desist from placing posters on that of their opponents.
He said: “We want to advice you that covering other candidates’ posters is not allowed. On our part we will do everything possible to ensure that voters freely exercise their franchise to elect candidates of their choice.”
He warned that there would be no room for snatching of ballot boxes and papers as policemen would be at all polling units.
The senator representing FCT, Senator Philip Aduda urged residents to be peaceful during the elections as elections in the territory had always been peaceful.
He called on the police to ensure that adequate personnel were on ground to provide security during the elections.
The Ona of Abaji, Ahaji Adamu Yunusa urged the police to deploy personnel to election venues two days before the elections for security reasons.
He also appealed to INEC to prepare adequately to avoid postponing the elections.
The high point of the meeting was the signing of a peace pact by candidates of all political parties participating in the elections.
-thisdaylive