Ahead of the November 11 governorship elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa states, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has revealed the plans of the Nigeria Police Force for the exercise.

Egbetokun, who spoke as a guest on Channels Television’s People’s Townhall on Election Security in Abuja on Sunday, said the Force is adequately prepared for the exercise, assuring voters that the elections will be hitch-free.

Noting that the polls will take place in only three states of the Federation, the police chief stated that the Force will draw personnel from across the remaining 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to support the already existing security architecture.

“We are ready for this election, we have been able to deploy adequately for this election. In Bayelsa, we will be covering 2,224 polling units and we have enough men and resources to cover those polling units,” he stated.

“We have also made adequate arrangements for both Imo and Kogi. We have done our threat assessments, and we already know how to carry out our deployments which we have already done.

“I want to assure you that the police and other security agencies are ready for this election and we are sure it is going to be hitch-free.”

The IGP stated that the deployment which has already started will be completed by Friday, about 24 hours before the governorship elections in the three states.

IGP Kayode Egbetokun speaks as a guest on Channels Television’s People’s Townhall on Election Security in Abuja on November 5, 2023.

‘History of Violence’

Historically, the three states have had records of violence in previous elections, with fears that violence could mar the smooth conduct of the polls.

There have also been fears of voter apathy, with concerns raised about the role of security agencies in safeguarding lives and properties during the elections.

Admitting that Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa are volatile states, the IGP said he is aware of what happened in the last general elections.

“We are going to leverage on our understanding of what happened in the last election. We want to do many things differently in this election because we have more resources to deploy for this election.

“We are very comfortable that the election this period in these three states is going to be better than the previous elections,” he said. (Channels TV)

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