By David Akinadewo-Adekahunsi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has announced that security personnel and ad-hoc staff deployed for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State will be required to take an oath of neutrality.
This move aims to ensure that security officers, drawn from various agencies such as the Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC, and Nigerian Army, carry out their duties impartially and in the best interest of the country.
Oluwatoyin Babalola, Ondo State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, made this announcement while addressing journalists in Akure, on Monday.
This development comes after security operatives were accused of bias in previous elections in Nigeria.
She disclosed that to address this, INEC has commenced training for 11,799 security agents from different units and formations in the state.
The REC noted that the training is crucial for INEC to collaborate with security agencies and ensure voters’ safety during the election.
Babalola, who assured that INEC is prepared for a transparent election and will present the official register of voters to political parties today, stated that all ad-hoc staff of the commission participating in the November 16 Ondo Governorship election wou take the oath of neutrality.
She revealed that the register, which contains 2,053,061 registered voters, will be shared today (Tuesday), in line with the Electoral Act’s provisions.
The REC posited that this effort demonstrates INEC’s commitment to conducting free and fair elections.
“By requiring security personnel to take an oath of neutrality, the commission aims to prevent any potential bias or interference in the electoral process.”
According to her: “To ensure a secure electoral environment before, during, and after the November 16 governorship election, INEC has commenced the Election Security Personnel (ESP) training. This programme is designed for all categories of security personnel to be deployed at various stages of the election.
“A total of 11,799 of them are going to undergo a three-day training for the exercise. This training aims to equip our security agents with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle the unique challenges that may arise before, during, and after the election.
“These security personnel who would be taking part in the conduct of the election would take an oath of loyalty and neutrality, and it is part of the electoral act to do it.”
