The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahitu Jega, and the Director-General of the State Security Services, Mr. Ita Ekpeyong, met behind closed doors in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting, according to an official of the SSS who pleaded anonymity, centered on the escalating pre-election violence in the country and the alleged substitution of the names of some candidates by a syndicate in INEC.
The source, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the meeting, said that the service invited Jega to its office to enable it (SSS) discuss how they could collaborate to make the elections violent-free.
He said, “Our boss and his counterpart in INEC are worried by the rising cases of violence that have been witnessed in the country.
“They also deliberated on the reports that some INEC officials were carrying out unwholesome practices by altering the list of candidates for the elections.
“They exchanged ideas on how to check the trends and bring those that are involved to book.”
Ekpeyong, who confirmed the meeting which took place at the SSS headquarters, said that Jega was invited by the service to brief it on the level of preparedness for the elections.
He told journalists that the current political violence in the country indicated that something worse might happen during the elections if necessary steps were not taken now,
The SSS boss lamented that politicians were bent on using violence to impose themselves and their wishes on Nigerians .
He said that inciting statements and utterances by politicians and their desperation to assume public offices were unacceptable to security agencies.
Ekpeyong added, “We believe all this violence is preparatory to greater violence by those, even though they know they have failed, who would want to use violence to impose themselves and their will on the rest of the nation.
“We are now better prepared than before to confront these unscrupulous people headlong. This is why we invited him here today (Thursday).”
In his comment, Jega said that INEC was ready for the elections, adding that his determination was to conduct an exercise that would be adjudged as the freest in the country.
“ INEC has all the logistics and human resources to do so. We have put everything in place and we are ready to give the country nothing but the best,” he assured.
The electoral body’s chairman listed some of the challenges facing the commission to include contradictory court orders and political violence.
He called for the cooperation of all security agencies, including the SSS in the conduct of the elections.
Jega, who also asked Nigerians to “identify” politicians that are making provocative utterances, urged the SSS to help monitor the staff of INEC, including himself during the elections.
He said, “The most significant help I want the SSS to render the commission during the elections is to help us monitor the INEC’s staff. From the chairman, commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners, down to the least staff who will play one role or another during the elections.
“I have given an undertaken that, I will not do anything that would compromise our ability to conduct a free, fair and credible elections.
“All the national commissioners and the RECs have given me their words that they will not do anything that will compromise the elections.”
Jega , however, pointed out that the commission was not unaware that, “there would still be some of our staff who may want to bend the rules either due to temptation, intimidation, pressure or harassment.”
“These are the people we want you to help us identify. We know you have the personnel, the know-how and the capacity to do this. We want you to gather concrete evidence that we could tender in court during their prosecution,” he told Ekpeyong.
But just as Jega and Ekpeyong rose from the meeting, hoodlums suspected to be members of a faction of the proscribed National Union of Road Transport Workers, Oyo State chapter, allegedly attacked and injured 12 supporters of the ACN in Ojo, Akinyele Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that the ACN supporters were on the convoy of the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
Some vehicles were also reportedly vandalised during the incident.
A chieftain of the party, Mr. Olu Idowu, told journalists in Ibadan that the convoy was returning from a political rally at Moniya, the headquarters of the local government area when the incident occurred.
He alleged that the hoodlums laid ambush and attacked the buses loaded with youths and women after the vehicles convening the candidate and party chiefs had passed.
The secretary of the party in the state, Mr. Wasiu Olatunbosun, also confirmed the attack, describing it as unprovoked.
When contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Baba Bolanta, said the command was not aware of the attack.
Bolanta advised leaders of the ACN to quickly lodge a complaint for necessary steps to be taken.
He warned that the police in the state would no longer tolerate any act of lawlessness from the members of NURTW.
The SSS boss (Ekpeyong) had at the commencement of a two-day national workshop on “Election Security Management” organised by the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja on Wednesday, accused politicians of introducing dangerous dimension to their campaigns.
He listed the dangerous dimensions, which he said were threats to the conduct of the elections, to include corruption, terrorism and proliferation of arms.
Just as he spoke the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday reviewed the spate of electoral violence in the country and warned that politicians and political parties involved would be prosecuted.
Before the warning by FEC, supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, the ACN and the Labour Party had clashed in Ondo and Ekiti states.
Two people died and seven were injured in the incidents.
There were also clashes between suppoters of the PDP and the ACN in Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday.
The state Governor, Godswill Akpabio, put the number of burnt vehicles at 800 and tricycles at 500.
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