FCT Polls: Odumosu Warns Officers Against Partisanship

As residents of the Federal Capital Territory prepare for Saturday’s area council elections, the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), FCT Command, Dr. Olusola Odumosu, has charged officers and men of the corps to maintain professionalism, neutrality and adhere to electoral guidelines.

Odumosu gave the directive at the command headquarters in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, shortly before departing to monitor the elections.

Addressing personnel, the commandant stressed that officers must remain non-partisan throughout the exercise.

“My charge as always is that you remain professional. Remain non-partisan. You belong to no political party. Our job is security, protect humans and infrastructure,” he said.

He disclosed that officers had already been deployed across all polling units, and directed them to work closely with other security agencies to guarantee a peaceful process.

“We have deployed across all the polling units. Your duty is for you to work in synergy with other agencies to ensure a peaceful exercise. You have a shared purpose. No compromise. I don’t want to hear that you worked for any political party or candidate,” Odumosu warned.

The commandant added that rapid response mechanisms were in place to handle incidents.

“If you notice any situation in the field, we have our crack squad on the ground for rapid intervention,” he said.

Odumosu emphasised that the command must be judged by its professionalism at the end of the exercise.

“At the end of the day, we want the FCT Command to be adjudged very professional. I wish you all the best and I pray that I don’t lose any of you,” he stated.

Reiterating his warning, he instructed officers to avoid political compromise and uphold electoral integrity.

“No compromise. Don’t work for any political party. Work in synergy with other security agencies. We want a free, fair and credible election. Say no to political thugs. Say no to rigging,” he said.

Odumosu said officers must not go close to polling units except where necessary for security purposes.

He also warned against accidental discharge, harassment or intimidation of voters, and providing assistance to voters.

The NSCDC had deployed 4,000 personnel as part of an inter-agency security arrangement involving the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Air Force and the Department of State Services.

The police, as the lead internal security agency, earlier announced the deployment of 1,000 personnel.

About 1,587,025 voters are expected to participate in the exercise. This represents a 94.4 percent PVC collection rate from the 1,680,315 registered voters across the six area councils .

The Abuja Municipal Area Council leads PVC collection with 795,081, followed by Bwari with 276,360 and Gwagwalada with 196,184. Kuje recorded a 97.2 percent collection rate with 144,109 cards, while Kwali and Abaji recorded 99,774 and 75,517 respectively.

INEC Chairman, prof, Joash Amupitan, confirmed that voting will take place in 2,822 polling units, with 570 candidates contesting 68 constituencies, comprising six chairmanship and 62 councilors seats.

To facilitate the movement of materials and personnel, INEC mobilised 1,132 vehicles, 620 motorcycles for hard-to-reach communities and 14 boats for riverine areas.

Meanwhile, two candidates have withdrawn from the race. The Peoples Democratic Party chairmanship candidate for Abuja Municipal Area Council, Zadna Dantani, stepped down to support the All Progressives Congress candidate, Christopher Zakka Maikalangu.

In Bwari, Julius Adamu of the PDP withdrew in favour of APC’s Joshua Ishaku Musa.