Ondo gov’ship: Security personnel must take oath of neutrality — INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that security personnel that would be deployed for duty in the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State must swear an oath of neutrality.

The commission also said the security officers, who would be drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Army, Nigerian Correctional Service, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), among others, must ensure they carry out their electoral function in the interest of the country.

The Ondo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Oluwatoyin Babalola, disclosed this yesterday while addressing newsmen in Akure, the state capital.

Recall that security operatives have been accused of bias in past elections.

The REC said the commission has commenced the training of security agents for the election, revealing that a total of 11,799 of them were drawn from different security units and formations in the state.

She said the training was necessary for the commission to also collaborate with security agencies in the state in ensuring the safeguarding of voters for a peaceful election.

“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,” she said.

While assuring that INEC was prepared for a transparent election in the state, Mrs Babalola revealed that the electoral body was ready to present the official register of voters in the state to political parties.

The REC reiterated that the total number of new registered voters in the state which stood at 2,053,061 would be presented to the political parties today in line with the provisions of Section 10 (4) of the Electoral Act, 2022.