The brewing tension over insecurity ahead of the September 21 governorship in Edo State deepened, yesterday, as Governor Godwin Obaseki and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Tony Aziegbemi bickered with the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over alleged bias of the police against the PDP.

The bickering came as the IGP said 35,000 policemen would be deployed across Edo State for the September 21 governorship election and that another 8,000 from sister security agencies like the armed forces, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to complement the police.

Egbetokun stated this at the stakeholders meeting organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, where its Chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, disclosed that former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, retd., was already in town to preside over the signing of the peace pact by parties and their candidates, today (Thursday).

The event had representatives of the 18 participating political parties, the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, the palace of the Oba of Benin, civil society groups and others.

In his remarks, Egbetokun also said the suspension of the activities of quasi-security organizations like the Edo State Security Network, ESSN, and others set up by the state government to check insecurity remain suspended and that they have no role to play on the day of election.

He said security aides attached to VIPs would be withdrawn. He reeled out the various election offences and warned that anyone caught violating them would be treated according to the law.

His words: ?It is the responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure that elections take place and the security of all is the responsibility of the police and we will be supported by other security agencies to ensure safety. We understand the importance of our role in this election and we will ensure that everything is done in compliance with that.

?We will deploy sufficient personnel for the election. For the Edo State Governorship election, we will deploy 35,000 personnel, there will be another 8,000 from other security agencies to complement us. We have undertaken several measures including a tour of hot spots, engaging stakeholders and operational visits and we will continuously engage all.?

He said all entry and exit points in the state would be manned while movements would be restricted between 6 am and 6 pm and urged the political leaders to warn their members against any form of violence.?

Also speaking, INEC chairman said the Commission has implemented 11 of the 13 activities on schedule and that ?As of today, we have only two outstanding activities. These are the last days of campaigning by political parties which, according to law, ends 24 hours before the date fixed for the elections i.e. at midnight on Thursday 19thSeptember 2024 and Election Day on Saturday 21stSeptember 2024.?

H said the Commission made some adjustments to the final list of candidates based on court judgments which included the replacement of the running mate to the candidate of the Labour Party and the National Rescue Movement (NRM) which he said could not file its nomination on schedule, and obtained a court order to compel the Commission to include the party on the ballot which now increased the number of political parties in the election from 17 to 18.

He disclosed that 184,438 PVCs made of 119,206 new voters and 65,232 transfers had been sent to Edo. He said the Commission has accredited 134 groups (124 domestic and 10 international) that would deploy 1,836 observers across the state and has accredited 114 media organisations deploying 721 journalists.

REC, CP?s links to Wike worrying ? Aziegbemi

On his part, the chairman of the PDP in Edo, Aziegbemi, who accused the IGP of bias, said the party is raising dust over the involvement of Wike?s associates in the election because of the well-documented disagreement between Governor Obaseki, and Wike, noting that the party sees the involvement of the officials as a recipe for disaster as they share close links with the Minister and are wont to do his bidding before, during and after the elections.

Aziegbemi, in a statement, noted that Anugbum Onuoha, the Edo State REC, was a special adviser on Lands to Wike when he served as Rivers State Governor, adding that the Edo Commissioner of Police, CP Nemi Edwin-Iwo, a close associate of the FCT Minister, was deployed to the State barely a month ago.

The PDP chair also stressed that the close link between these officials and the FCT Minister means that the election may have been compromised even before kick off.

His words: ?We are worried that the election may have been compromised even before it starts. This is because we are certain that the officials responsible for conducting a free, fair and credible election are close associates of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

?The INEC REC in Edo is Wike?s cousin and served as a Special Adviser on Lands to him in Rivers State. Everyone in Nigeria knows the antecedents of Wike and his conduct during elections in Rivers State. So we will not close our eyes and watch him deploy the same tactic in Edo State.

?The current Edo State Commissioner of Police, Nemi Edwin-Iwo, is also a close associate of Wike. We believe he would not act in the best interest of Edo people nor even in the spirit and letters of the Electoral Act.?

IGP faults PDP

Egbetokun, however, picked holes in the allegations the PDP that the Police were biased.

Responding to Edo PDP chairman?s comments that ?after the unfortunate incident at the airport, all hell was let loose.

The Nigerian police have been so biased under this IG,? Egbetokun said: ?You accuse the IG of being partisan because I am bent on unraveling the killing of a police officer. If you hold the opinion that the IG is partisan for going after the killer of the policeman, I think you will remain with that opinion forever.?

NGO seeks REC?s redeployment

Speaking in like manner, the Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, called for the immediate redeployment of Edo REC before the September 21 poll.

In a statement by its Country Director, Mr. John Mayaki, the group urged Yakubu to redeploy Dr. Anugbum Onuoha for alleged partisanship and affiliation with an interested party in the election.

Mayaki stated: ?Onuoha serves as the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Edo State. He hails from Rivers State and had previously served as the Special Adviser on Lands and Survey to the former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and was an active card-carrying member of the PDP. These affiliations and backgrounds have raised concerns about his possible biases and conflicts of interest in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.

?Prof. Yakubu should forestall an impending electoral crisis in Edo State by heeding the insistent outcry, petitions and protests by the people of Edo State, political parties and civil society organisations calling for the redeployment of Onuoha, who is seen as partisan and owing allegiance to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.? (Vanguard)