The Social Democratic Party has urged police and other security agencies to provide adequate protection for party agents and other officials during the election campaign.
Yinus Gbadamosi, Chairman of the Osun State SDP, made the call in a press interview on Sunday.
He spoke amid reports of attacks on party agents during the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
Gbadamosi stated that peace must be maintained during the upcoming general elections.
He also urged party agents to be mindful of their actions at polling places and to refrain from any form of violence.
He said, “All political parties should be on the watch because we all own the country and we must be very careful of our activities during this period. We are already sensitising our members to this. We need to make sure we have peaceful outings during this election period. We must prioritise the safety of lives and properties.
“The securities agencies should be active at each polling unit to avoid attack on party agents and all the electoral members of staff. They should also make sure there are no biases in their conduct. They must be professional in their conduct.
Polling agents are appointed by political parties to monitor election activities at polling units.”
Political parties or candidates are expected to present one polling agent per polling unit, according to INEC regulations and guidelines for the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command has assured residents that their lives and property will be adequately protected during the election campaign.
In an interview with our correspondent on Saturday, the command’s spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the police would be on the lookout for any type of attack in the state.
He said, “Just recently, we inaugurated the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, which comprises INEC, the police and other security agencies. So, the committee is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that there is adequate security for electoral officers and the electorate and every other stakeholder during the election and the committee has swung into action and has been working tirelessly, making out strategies and other things to ensure that elections turnout well.
“So I can assure Lagosians and Nigerians in general that the election will go well according to plan to the best of our ability, most importantly with the support of the people.”
