National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has said President Bola Tinubu has no preferred candidates in next month’s off-season governorship elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa.
Ribadu made the declaration on Friday while speaking with journalists after a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) comprising the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Service Chiefs.
Ribadu who noted that the November election would be the first to be conducted under Tinubu’s watch said his principal was determined to conduct free, transparent elections.
He said: “We are prepared and will be with you 100 percent and will work to meet the standard that you want us to meet. There is nothing as important as free and fair election in a democracy.
“This government is interested in that and Mr. President has directed that he wants to see a free, fair and credible election. This is the first election that is going to be held under his watch.
“He said everything possible should be done to ensure that Nigerians witness a free and fair election. I want to assure Nigerians that this election will be better than the previous ones. This election is going to be without violence and a litmus test for us.”
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun revealed that certain candidates planning to instigate violence during and after the elections are under security watch and would be dealt with except they shelve their plot.
He said: “We have just concluded the ICCES meeting with INEC. This election is an off-season election and we are committed to making it a free and fair election. The security agencies are ready for this election. We have received all necessary information from INEC which has informed us where to deploy during this election.
“We have carried out our threat assessment and that has informed us where to allocate our resources and the deployment of our men. All the security agencies are collaborating seriously to ensure that this election is violence-free.
“My appeal to people who want to come out and make trouble during this election is for them to stay away from the election because there will be no place for them to operate.
“We are aware of mobilisation by supporters of some candidates. We are already monitoring them and we are ready for them during this election. I appeal to those who just want to come out and disrupt this election to stay away.
“I appeal to the electorate to come out en masse to cast their vote during this election. We are committed to a peaceful election and there is no going back on that”.
The IGP who said the security agencies took a position on volatile zones was however silent on deployment.
“We have our figures and we are not going to make them public. We have given the details of deployment at the meeting, but it is not for the media.
“All the states have challenges and we are taking care of the challenges”
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