“Edo Police Command Affirms Readiness for APC and PDP Delegate Elections”

The Edo State Police Command has characterized the recent delegate primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held last Saturday as enlightening, indicating a shift in its approach towards treating such elections solely as internal party matters.

The Command’s spokesman, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, stated this Wednesday in his office while briefing journalists on the preparedness of the Command ahead of Thursday’s primary elections.

Recall that violence erupted last Saturday at the collation venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s delegate election, resulting in serious injuries to some officials of the party and destruction of journalists’ equipment.

Recall that while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), would be having their delegate election at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, the All Progressives Congress (APC), will also continue last Saturday’s delegate election declared inconclusive by the party’s leadership.

“You could remember that we had just little hitch of a particular party delegate election. That has been an eye-opener to Edo State Police Command, that we should no longer see it as a party affairs,” Nwabuzor said.

He noted that the various delegates participating in the election “are from different communities cut across the 18 local government areas of Edo State”, and so, anything could happen.

According to him, “[They are] people with diverse interests, people with diverse behaviors, people with different attitudes and characters.

“So, this time around, we are not going to view it as party affairs, we are going to niew it very seriously to ensure that the right thing is done that the lives and properties of these party members are protected.”

Commenting further on arrangements and deployment of operatives for the exercise, the Edo police spokesman said the Command is working with all other sister security agencies to ensure that we do well in this exercise.

“The Nigerian Police, Edo State Command is very, very ready to ensure that there is a peaceful, hitch-free delegate election cut across political parties in Edo state. We are ready to ensure that the lives and properties of these delegates, the party men and women are well protected and secure.

The Commissioner of police has adequately deployed officers and men for the exercise and we believe that the number of officers, the caliber of officers and me he had deployed for this exercise, we are not hoping to see any form of violence or civil disobedience,” he said.

He however warned the participating political parties and their delegates to be of good behavior and conduct themselves in lawful manners.

“We are aware that some delegates are arriving Benin city already and we are aware that a particular political party will be conducting a fresh delegate election tomorrow and we are equally aware that a particular political party who’s election was inconclusive will be doing their own election tomorrow as well, so, it is a very, very tight schedule and we are on top of the game, we are very, very battle ready to ensure that the right thing is done and it will come without any violence.

“The Commissioner of Police, Edo State, CP Funsho Adegboye, is appealing to party members of these different political parties in Edo state who are conducting these delegate primaries to go about it in a lawful manner according to the rules of the game.

“The CP is appealing to them to ensure that they carry out their election voting processes according to the law. He also encouraged them tk go about these voting processes without any violence, without party members instigating violence. He therefore warned that anyone at all, irrespective of his personality, found doing so should be arrested and brought to book.

“We are begging the good people of Edo State, particularly, these delegates, to ensure that they wear their party identification tags, to ensure that they conduct themselves in a peaceful manner. This is our kind warning and appeal.

“The Commissioner of Police, Edo State, has warned officers to arrest anyone found perpetrating or instigating violence,” has disclosed.

SP Nwabuzor while appealed to all media operatives covering the delegate elections to wear their identification jackets and cards.

This is even as he warned that members of the state security vigilante are not expected to be at the various venues of the elections.

He said: “The vigilante is not part of the process in any election, be it a state election or general election at all. The vigilante are no part of it, they are not part of the security agencies. They are state-owned security outfit, so we cannot take the risk to have them around in this kind of important duties.”