INEC Proposes New Security Architecture For 2019 Elections

Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has proposed new election security template for the 2019 general elections, in full compliance with relevant provisions of the law.
The new security architecture will ensure that security personnel are deployed only at the request of INEC and in accordance with the provisions of Section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).
The Electoral Act states emphatically that: “Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law and for purposes of securing the vote, the commission shall be responsible for requesting for the deployment of relevant security personnel necessary for elections or registration of voters and shall assign them in a manner to be determined by the commission in consultation with the relevant security agencies.
“Provided that the commission shall only request for the deployment of the Nigerian armed forces only for the purposes of securing the distribution and delivery of election materials and protection of election officials.”
Addressing members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), which he co-chairs with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, on Wednesday in Abuja, the INEC chairman said the provisions of the Act would be made to take full effect in the forthcoming polls.
He said the meeting would also discuss the readiness of security agencies, given the huge number of registered voters.
Prof. Yakubu said the police remained the lead agency in election matters, with other agencies playing supportive roles.
He noted, however, that the experience of the commission in the 195 off-season elections it conducted since 2015 has necessitated a different approach in the deployment of security personnel during elections.
“This meeting shall discuss modalities for actualising the provision of the law. In particular, we are committed to ensuring that elections are organised in such a manner that the security agencies are not perceived to be running parallel arrangement with INEC. Rather, it should strictly be INEC’s plan for the election that should be implemented,” he added.