..Guarantees safety of electorates

…no armed Security personnel should be 500 meters close to voting

By Ike Uchechukwu CALABAR

The Commissioner of Police in charge of Elections in Cross River, CP Garba Aliyu has called on politicians and other stakeholders to urge their supporters to play by the rules of engagement in the governorship polls on Saturday.

He added that the Police Command in Cross River will deal ruthlessly with anyone who plans to circumvent Saturday’s Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in the state.

CP Aliyu Garba stated during a peace accord signing and interactive session with Politicians, stakeholders as well as community leaders on Thursday at the Command Headquarters Diamond Hills, Calabar.

The election CP urged the leadership of the political parties to warn their supporters across the state against fermenting trouble and getting involved in any form of thuggery adding that the law will take its cause.

He said the forum was to chart a new course with a view to creating an enabling and peaceful environment for the exercise.

His words: We wish to reiterate and assure all of our willingness to draw on the experience and lessons from the just concluded elections towards strengthening our capacity and operational architecture for the forthcoming Governorship and State Assembly elections.

“In perfecting this, we solicit the continuous understanding and support of all, particularly the political actors across all party lines and the electorates to ease out the task by committing to exercise their franchise within the dictate of the electoral Act, overriding state consideration and interests,” CP Garba stated.

According to him, the Police would work with other sister security agencies toward the conduct of a peaceful poll on Saturday.

Speaking further he enjoined media practitioners to demonstrate patriotism and place state’s
interest above other considerations in their reportage while urging them to verify before putting stories out.

He said: “I expect you all to embark on investigative journalism and get accurate information before dishing same out for public consumption.

“Maintain the obligation of resisting the urge to use your various platforms to propagate fake news capable of threatening peace and security in the polity,” he said.