Cleen Foundation Election Security Support Centre (ESSC) has lauded the early arrival and overall professional conduct displayed by security personnel on election duty during the Saturday Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections.
Mr. Gad Peter, Executive Director of the foundation, gave the commendation in a post-election statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the foundation’s support center observed that most security personnel exhibited professional conduct at the various polling units.
Peter said the foundation trained and deployed 109 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) accredited roving observers.
He also added that the ESSC liaised with citizen observers in the 108 senatorial zones across the country with a focus on security management at the polls.
He explained that the ESSC roving observers used the “CLEEN Mobile App” to observe the conduct of security and other related issues in their respective areas/locations.
“The primary data collected from the observers were triangulated and complemented with information from credible and reliable sources and the reports show that in most of the visited Polling Units PUs, security personnel reported in time.
“Our reports show that at least 61 percent of the PU visited security personnel were at the assignment post between 630 a.m. and 8 a.m. with a few late arrivals in some PUs.
“Security presence was adequate in about 75 percent of the PUs as most of the polling units had two or more security personnel in sight,” he said.
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Peter added that “for instance in Bayelsa State, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) Ward 2 Oporoma, PU 19 Otuobiri Primary school, two policemen were seen at the PU.
“However, in Delta State, Okpe LGA, Ward 10, PU 16, Ubrete (Jeddo Town), security personnel were not on the ground”.
Peter said that the use of visible name tags by the security agents brought an overall feeling of safety and security to the electorate in most polling units visited.
He however said that some polling units recorded safety concerns that scared voters away, especially with the absence of security and the presence of alleged political thugs.
The group’s executive director said that overall, security personnel acted professionally and impartially toward voters.
He said that most of the security personnel exhibited professional conduct at the various polling units by not using force on voters during the process.
Peter urged citizens across the country to maintain peace and remain calm while INEC announces the results and the judiciary system acts appropriately to aggrieved parties or candidates.
He urged security agencies not to relent in ensuring the sustainability of the nation’s peace by preventing and controlling violent incidents erupting from different states.