*As NSA says lessons from Edo, Ondo elections will be handy
By Folorunso Alagbede, in Abuja
Ahead of the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has reminded heads of security agencies in the country of their constitutional duty to protect citizens during elections.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu said this on Tuesday at the first regular meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, for the year 2025 in Abuja.
The Anambra State Governorship election will be held on Saturday 8th November this year.
Also, the end-of-tenure Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is scheduled for Saturday 21st February 2026.
Prof Yakubu specifically pointed out that attention must be paid to the menace of vote-buying.
According to him, the Commission’s experience in the management of logistics during the last Ondo State governorship election would be used as the template for future elections.
His words: “Better coordination in the deployment of security and electoral officials contributed to the early commencement of polls and peaceful conduct of the election, in spite of the challenging terrain, especially in the riverine areas.
“The forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State must be similarly well coordinated.
“Together, we should continue to give Nigerians a happy experience on Election Day and beyond”, he said.
The INEC Chairman called for more dedication and focus in the area of security, especially in combating vote buying.
He said, proudly, that the Commission’s collaboration with the law enforcement and anti-graft agencies has been fruitful.
In his words, “There is of course a lot of work to do, especially in combating vote buying.
“The Commission is happy with our collaboration with the law enforcement agencies, particularly the anti-graft agencies.
“Beyond the arrest of vote buyers on Election Day, our active partnership has so far resulted in the successful prosecution of some offenders in three States of the Federation.
“As you are aware, the problem also manifests itself during the party primaries for the election of candidates. “In the same way that voters are targeted at Polling Units on Election Day, so too is delegate-buying at the venues of congresses and conventions for the election of candidates.
“As you can see from the Timetable and Schedule of Activities included in your folders for this meeting, party primaries for the Anambra State Governorship election begin next month, followed by the Area Council election in the FCT in June.
“We should continue to work together in partnership with other critical stakeholders to address the menace”, he said.
On his part, the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who doubles as the Co-Chair of ICCES, appreciates the security agencies, as well as INEC, for the marked improvement in security recorded during the Edo and Ondo States Off cycle Governorship elections.
The polls, according to Ribadu, witnessed seamless cooperation between the security agencies, which facilitated quick response to incidents that would have significantly disrupted the exercise.
The NSA, who was represented at the meeting by Hassan Yahaya Abdullahi, Director of Internal Security in his office,
assured that the lessons learned from the isolated incidents recorded during the Edo and Ondo polls will be vital in refining security strategies, ahead of the forthcoming elections in some parts of the Country.
According to him, “There was also the deployment of technology, especially drones and communication systems, as well as improved surveillance and coordination, which accounted for the timely response to incidents.
“Though the voter turnout across the two States was not as envisaged, the conduct of the electorates was impressive, albeit a few incidents of voter agitations over delayed commencement of the exercise in some polling Units, due to logistics constraints”, he said.
Moving forward, the NSA assured that the lessons learned from the isolated incidents recorded during the Edo and Ondo polls will be vital in refining security strategies, ahead of the forthcoming bye elections in some parts of the Country, including the Governorship election in Anambra State, scheduled for 25th November later this year.
END
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