The police have said measures have been taken to curb voter inducement and vote-buying during the Ekiti Governorship Election on Saturday.
The Coordinating Commissioner of Police for the election, Abayomi Shogunle, who spoke at an interactive session on Thursday in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, assured residents of adequate security arrangements to ensure the safe movement of election materials and the peaceful, free, and credible conduct of the election on Saturday.
Mr Shogunle said in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, security personnel had already been deployed to escort both sensitive and non-sensitive materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the 16 local government areas of the state.
On the challenge of financial inducement during elections, he assured residents and stakeholders that security agencies were prepared to clamp down on vote buying and other electoral offences during Saturday’s poll.
Mr Shogunle said the police had already commenced extensive voter enlightenment on the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly those relating to financial inducement and vote trading.
The police chief said the force was taking proactive measures to educate citizens on the legal consequences of engaging in such practices.
“One of the steps we have taken is to enlighten voters on the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which was recently signed into law,” he said.
“The Act clearly outlines actions and omissions that constitute electoral offences, including vote buying and vote selling.”
According to him, the police have intensified public awareness efforts to ensure that voters understand that financial inducement during elections is a criminal offence punishable under the law.
“We have started informing citizens about these provisions, and I also urge members of the media to use their various platforms to educate the public. People need to understand that if we observe any act of vote buying or related electoral offences, we will not hesitate to enforce the law,” he added.
Mr Shogunle disclosed that specialised training programmes had been organised for police officers deployed on election duties, equipping them with the knowledge and skills required to identify and promptly respond to electoral offences.
“We commenced the training of officers yesterday, and it is continuing today. The officers will, in turn, brief the personnel deployed to various locations on what to look out for and how to handle situations involving electoral misconduct,” he explained,” he said.
The commissioner stressed that security operatives would remain vigilant throughout the electoral process and would take decisive action against anyone found violating the law.
“Our mandate is clear. We will monitor developments closely, and wherever we detect incidents of vote buying or any other electoral offence, we will do what the law requires us to do. That includes arresting offenders and ensuring that they are brought to justice,” Mr Shogunle said.
Despite assurances, campaign rallies freely rolled through Ekiti streets distributing foodstuffs and other materials as the final hours of the campaign rolled by.
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Party supporters on Thursday distributed clothes and Indomie noodles as part of efforts to curry favour with voters in the last minute.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) had earlier raised concerns that the ruling All Progressives Congress could compromise the election by using its federal might and resources to influence votes.
But the APC officials have dismissed the allegations, saying the party had performed well enough to deserve a landslide victory on Saturday.
