By our reporter/ President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday ordered service chiefs to ensure that nothing should be allowed to derail the November 6 Anambra governorship poll.
The national security adviser, Babagana Monguno, who gave the order while briefing journalists about the outcome of the security meeting the service chiefs had with Buhari at the presidential villa, said the president gave the order in response to the heightened security challenges in Anambra.
“The president has directed that under no circumstances will anything be allowed to stop the elections from taking place successfully. The people have a right to vote and select their leader,” Monguno quoted the president to have said.
“No group or individual will be allowed to stimulate anarchy and chaos, leading to murderous activities.
“The president has made it very clear that the armed forces and all law enforcement agencies must make sure that the elections take place, even if it means overwhelming the entire environment with the presence of security agencies.
“There are so many implications for elections to be sabotaged by non-state actors. In the first place, we are in a democracy; secondly, it is important to note that if these non-state actors should succeed in destroying the potentials for orderly elections, then it is natural that other parts of the country would also want to copy this same situation.”
The minister of police affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, on his part, said the force is ready to ensure peace in Anambra and other parts of the country.
“In particular, we talked about the Anambra governorship election coming on the 6th of November and we want to assure the people of the state and all Nigerians that the government is committed to conducting that election,” he said.
“The election has to be free and fair. We are going to put every machinery in place to ensure that people are well secured. That is the only way to ensure that we promote democracy and good governance in this country.”
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