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Richard Ogunsile
Guest
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that security personnel assigned to the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State are required to take an oath of neutrality.
Naija News reports that security operatives have faced several allegations of partiality in previous elections.
Amid anxiety for the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo, INEC stated that the security officers, who will be sourced from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Army, Nigerian Correctional Service, and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), among others, must perform their electoral duties in a manner that serves the interests of the nation.
Speaking during a press briefing in Akure, the state capital, on Monday, the Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Oluwatoyin Babalola, indicated that the commission has initiated training for security personnel involved in the election, with a total of 11,799 individuals selected from various security units and formations within the state.
She emphasized that this training is essential for fostering collaboration between the commission and security agencies to ensure the protection of voters and the conduct of a peaceful election.
“To ensure a secure electoral environment before, during, and after the November 16 governorship election, INEC has commenced the Election Security Personnel (ESP) training. This programme is designed for all categories of security personnel to be deployed at various stages of the election.
“A total of 11,799 of them are going to undergo a three-day training for the exercise. This training aims to equip our security agents with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle the unique challenges that may arise before, during, and after the election.
“These security personnel who would be taking part in the conduct of the election would take an oath of loyalty and neutrality, and it is part of the electoral act to do it,” she said.
Babalola confirmed that INEC is fully prepared to conduct a transparent election in the state and announced that the electoral commission is set to provide the official voter register to the political parties.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner stressed that the total number of newly registered voters in the state, which amounts to 2,053,061, will be disclosed to the political parties today, in accordance with Section 10 (4) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
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