2023: IGP Vows To Deal With Political Actors Encouraging Violence
LAGOS NOVEMBER 18TH (NEWSRANGERS)-As Nigerians prepare for 2023 general election, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba has vowed to bring to justice political actors who are found of encouraging violence.
Alkali Baba who made the vow while addressing political stakeholders at a meeting with political parties and other stakeholders in preparation for the 2023 General ekections at the Force Headquarters, Abuja yesterday explained that political thugs armed with any sort of weapons and inspired by any political actor to advance an illegal act including attacking innocent citizens for political purpose or attacking INEC assets and personnel, or any other critical infrastructure in the country, such persons and those orchestrating them stand the risk of being brought to justice for the specific crime associated with their conducts regardless of their political affiliation, status, or ambitions.
To prevent future occurrence of violence in electioneering period, the IGP who stated that no fewer than fifty-two cases of such politically-motivated, intra, and inter-party violence has been recorded across twenty-two states since the official commencement of campaigns for the 2023 General Elections on 28th September, 2022 promised to put machineries in motion that will in the most proactive manner identify, isolate, apprehend, and bring any political actor and the foot-soldiers they might be motivating to engage in violence at political rallies or any other political engagement to deserved justice.
“We have also resolved to emplace firm actions that will deter targeted attacks on INEC assets across the country. More than a stern warning, this is a clarion call for us all, both as security agencies and political actors to speak out with one voice in condemning political violence in overriding national security and democratic interests,” he stated.
The Police Boss noted that the leadership of each political party is critical in eradicating the menace of political intolerance, threat, violence and other negative tendencies in our democratic culture because they are the strategic gatekeepers to Nigeria democracy whose conducts or misconducts do have a reverberating effect on the actions of their followers as well as on the national political space.
“It is for this reason that I wish to appeal to the leadership of all political parties here seated to be determined to show the right leadership virtues and publicly dissociate themselves from acts of political brigandage and violence as this is the only way we can reassure our citizens and the international communityof our nation’s commitment to a peaceful 2023 General Elections.
“I wish to similarly appeal to the Independent National Electoral Commission to, in cognisance of their critical regulatory, enforcement and supervisory roles as enshrined in the Electoral Act 2022, assert their statutory powers, and scale up their compliance actions towards complementing the Nigeria Police and other law enforcement agencies in checkmating the threats being poised to our democratic order by actors within the political system.
“This requires that INEC should take decisive actions against candidates and parties that violate the Electoral Act in the areas of conduct of political parties, candidates,and other actors in relation to hate speeches; campaign fundings regulations; encouraging, supporting, or inciting violence; and depriving political opponents of basic electoral rights guaranteed under the Act,” Alkali Baba state.
Short URL: https://newsrangers.com/?p=96433
Posted by News Rangers
on Nov 18 2022. Filed under National.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
