ASHENEWS reports that the Sokoto State Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammed Usaini Gumel has read riot act to politicians, and officers of the Nigeria Police Force on the forthcoming general elections.
This online platform further reports that Gumel, during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) with leaders of political parties and candidates in the state, warned that on the day of election, Police Orderlies and other security personnel attacked to the politicians and candidates would have access to the voting points with them.
According to him, every citizen is expected to abide by the Electoral Act and other extant laws in order to have free, fair and violent-free elections.
“You must note that as you go to vote, your orderlies and other security personnel attacked to you, must remain behind. None will be allowed to go to the voting points with you.
“More so, no personnel will be at the polling units with weapons of any kind.
“Elections in Sokoto State must be violent-free, and you as stakeholders, must be seen to provide the enabling environment for that,” CP Gumel said.
He added that politicians should avoid sponsoring thugs because “such thugs would be arrested, and if our investigation points at you as their sponsor, we will not hesitate to arrest you too.”
Also speaking, the state director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yahaya Hassan warned politicians against providing the room to be embarrassed by refusing to act by the rules.
“While it will not be our intention to embarrass any politician, if you provide the room for that, we must have to do our work, and you won’t go scot-free,” he warned.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Nura Ali, represented by Barr. Aisha Kangiwa, said the Commission had reached “red-zone preparedness” at which time it needed security.
