INEC meets security agencies, seeks better approach to elections

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu has harped on the need for a different approach to the deployment of security forces during the forthcoming general elections.
Prof Yakubu said this while addressing Regular Quarterly Meeting of inter-agency consultative committee on election security, yesterday, in Abuja.
The INEC Chairman made it clear that the nation needs a new security architecture for 2019, consistent with the provision of Section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).
The Nigeria Police Force, he pointed out, remains the lead agency for election security. Other security agencies, he added, will play a supportive role to the Nigeria Police.
According to him, “This meeting is convened primarily to update members of ICCES on our preparations for the 2019 General Elections. It is also an opportunity to hear from the security agencies on your preparations so far.
“However, learning from the experience of some of the 195 off-season elections conducted since 2015, it is pertinent to draw our attention to the need for a different approach to the deployment of security forces during elections.
“In particular, we are committed to ensuring that elections are organized in such a manner that the security agencies are not perceived to be running parallel arrangement with INEC. Rather, it should strictly be INEC’s plan for the election that should be implemented.
“The Nigeria Police Force remains the lead agency for election security. Other security agencies will play a supportive role to the Nigeria Police.
“However, we need a new security architecture for 2019, consistent with the provision of Section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended)”, he said.
The INEC Chairman added that the meeting was also to discuss modalities for actualizing the provision of the law.
Yakubu further said that the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) for new registrants as well as those who are already registered but had requested for transfer of their registrations to other locations or the replacement of PVCs for various reasons have been reprinted and available for collection.