By Robert Obioha
IT is
good and desirable that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
will tomorrow conduct the remaining Federal and State legislative elections in Rivers State.
Nigerians and indeed the people of Rivers
State will heave a sigh
of relief that at last this election will be concluded. Its conclusion will
mean that they will be fully represented in the National and State Assembly.
It will
also mean that Rivers
State will have a say in
decisions of the highest law-making organs in the country. For this exercise to
be violence-free, fair and credible, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has
deployed 20,000 police personnel, 3 helicopters and 20 gunboats. It is hoped
that with this massive deployment of policemen, the issue of insecurity and
electoral violence should not arise.
The
electoral agency has deployed about 10,294 staff to ensure a seamless exercise
and conclusion of the rereun elections in Rivers State.
Therefore, there is no doubt that all is now set for tomorrow’s exercise,
expected to conclude the poll which began last year. For months, the people of Rivers State
had been denied representation in the National and State Assembly.
Now
that INEC is set to complete the exercise and give them full representation in
the National and State Assembly, all hands must be on deck to ensure that it is
successful this time around. All the grandstanding by certain political actors
concerning the exercise is unnecessary. Politicians and their supporters should
be part of the effort to make the exercise succeed.
They
should refrain from incendiary comments capable of stoking violence in the
state. All the security agents must maintain absolute political neutrality in
the elections. Their job is to provide adequate security in the state before,
during and after the polls. They should not aid any party to rig the election
or to gain any political advantage.