The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, Mr. Asuquo Amba, has issued a strong warning to the political class to refrain from violence and vote-buying during December 7, local government election in the state.
Amba called on politicians and voters to shun unwholesome acts capable of truncating the Stateโs peaceful ambience, assuring political parties that his men will provide a level playing ground for all contenders participating in the elections.
The Police Chief spoke on Friday during a stakeholdersโ meeting organised by the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC).
The meeting was attended by representatives of the political parties, security agencies as well as electoral officers from various local governments in the state.
While reiterating the readiness of the command to cooperate and work with other sister agencies including members of the Odua Peopleโs Congress(OPC), Amba noted that the move would further ensure the smooth conduct of the exercise.
โLet me commend the SIEC for organising this meeting and other efforts made so far, so that we can have free and fair polls.
โI call on politicians to intensify efforts and ensure that their members conduct themselves peacefully before, during and after the elections.
โWe have done it before during the last presidential elections and we are still going to do it. We will play our role, we are not going to be biased, we will provide good atmosphere for free and fair elections โ.
The chairman of the commission, Justice Jide Aladejana, solicited the supports of the political parties and other stakeholders towards the success of the elections.
He ruled out the use of corps members during the exercise and disclosed that teachers and other government workers will be used as ad-hoc staff.
โSIEC in the last few weeks visited many communities to seek the supports of traditional rulers and sensitized members of the public on the need to ensure free and fair exercise.
A Professor of Political Science at the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, commended the SIEC for several sensitization and enlightenment programmes organised since the announcement of the day of the elections .
