Elections: States, LGAs Need To Be Involved In Security, Says Adamu
With the 2023 general elections barely a month away, a security expert, Dr Kabiru Adamu, has said all states and local governments must be involved in security.
Adamu, the Managing Director of Beacon Consulting Limited, stated this during an interview on Channels Television.
“Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) by its mandate is meant to be approached from three different angles – the federal level, the state levels and stakeholders,” he stated.
Noting that ICCES membership is drawn from over 20 federal agencies, Adamu stated that all the 36 state commissioners of police represent the state in the ad hoc committee.
He called on all in the committee to work with all stakeholders, including the traditional rulers, market women, the association of youths, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), displaced and handicapped persons, among others.
The security expert is of the view that securing Nigeria’s election infrastructure, including facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), requires an inclusive approach that brings on board all possible stakeholders for intelligence gathering.
According to Adamu, the current efforts are not successful because not everyone needed is involved in the effort.
“Security is implemented in layers. By the time the INEC Chairman discusses with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Inspector General of Police, they will know that he needs to be answered in a very clear manner,” he stated.
“But when the directive is vague – ‘I need my facility to be protected’ – then it gives them room to play around.”
The presidential and National Assembly elections are slated for Saturday, February 25, while the governorship and House of Assembly polls will hold on March 11.
Already, there have been several attacks by gunmen on INEC’s offices particularly in the south-eastern part of the country with concern over likely threats to the conduct of polls in the region.
