Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has urged stakeholders involved in the Ondo State governorship election to allow peace to reign for the betterment of the state. The Deputy Commandant of Operation, Mr Hilary Kelechi Madu, made the call when speaking to newsmen on Friday in Akure on the preparation for the Saturday election.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 28 political parties will be participating in the poll. “We do not care about any political party but most importantly, we should do the right thing and allow peace to reign during and after the election. “People should eschew violence and not take laws into their hands by killing themselves for somebody to become a leader. “We will work with other security agencies to ensure smooth and peaceful election,” he said. “NSCDC is ready for the election, we have been interacting with other security agencies to have free, fair and credible election,’’ he said. Madu said that about 25 special bred sniper dogs and Improvised Electronic Devices (IEDs) would be deployed for narcotics detection during the election. He said that 10 commandants from neighbouring states and headquarters would be monitoring the three senatorial districts of the state. “We told you few days ago that 15,000 personnel will be on ground for smooth conduct of the election. “Also, 50 officers from headquarters are on ground to complement our personnel,” he said. The deputy commandant said that the purpose of deploying men was not to militarise the polling units but to check excesses before and during the polls. Madu reiterated the corps’ commitment toward the election, saying that three to four of its personnel would man each of the 3,009 polling units across the state. (NAN)