Cross River: AIG Assures Citizens of Adequate Security at Polls

THE new Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 6 Command, Mr. Tunde Ogunshakin, has assured Nigerians of adequate security in the forthcoming general elections.

  He declared that the police owes no allegiance to any political party as far as the 2015 general elections are concerned.

  The AIG, who stated this yesterday while administering the signing of a peace accord document among political parties in Cross River State, said it is time for all Nigerians to freely participate in the elections without rancour.

    He said, “we shall on our part be objective, liberal, firm and non-partisan and perform our duties in the best possible professional manner; as we owe no alliance to any political party.” 

   Speaking at the event, the state chairman of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Austin Ibok, accused the ruling party in the state of using security operatives to intimidate members of his party.

   Ibok urged the police to investigate the alleged collection of Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC by members of the ruling party in Cross River.

  He alleged that members of the ruling party are going round the state collecting people’s PVC and called on the police to look into their activities. 

   “The people in the ruling party are already telling us lots of things; that they are in charge and they believe that they would have charge that day,” Mr. Ibok said.

  The State Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Goodie Akpama, explained that the possibility of rigging the forthcoming elections with the alleged PVCs’ collected should not be wished away.

   Earlier, the Commissioner of Police, Cross River State, Henry Fadiaro, said his office has put in place measures to checkmate violence before, during and after elections.

   While disclosing that all security operatives and other stakeholders would be issued a tag as means of identification on the Election Day, he noted that there would be restriction of movement to members of the public.

  The commissioner assured the people of his command’s preparedness to ensure a peaceful atmosphere on election days, adding that there will be a joint patrol of security operatives in the state.

  All the political parties in the state signed the peace accord to be administered by both the AIG and the Police Commissioner.