Edo Election: Group faults IGP ban on state security outfit, warns Police against partisanship

Less than a week to the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State, the Police have been warned against taking sides in the exercise.

The warning was issued by the Edo Collectives, a socio-cultural group.

In a statement issued on Sunday by Ese Ipboba, its spokesperson, the group said the Police should refrain from any form of interference in Saturday’s governorship election.

According to the statement, “the stand of the Police has shown its possible partiality in the forthcoming election”.

The socio-political group noted that the ban clamped on the Edo State Security Network, ESSN, by the Inspector General of Police was a ploy by the Police to have a field day during the election.

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Faulting the ban, Ipboba stressed that the security network was not a threat to the peaceful conduct of the election.

The statement observed that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had sought “a level playing field by asking for the redeployment of the state Commissioner of Police but the plea fell on deaf ears, indicating that the Police have ulterior motive”.

The group however warned that in order not to cause confusion on election day, “the Police must remain not only neutral but be seen as neutral”.

“Edo people are peace loving but a situation of partiality might not augur well for all,” the statement stressed.

The Edo Collectives further called on President Bola Tinubu “to ensure that there is no display of federal might, on or before the election day” and”allow the electorates to decide who governs them”.

Newspot reported that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, had banned the state-owned security outfit, Edo State Security Network, ESSN, from participating in the election.

According to the IGP, the task of securing voters and electoral materials rests squarely on the Police, who will be supported by other security agencies to ensure a credible election.

The IGP had also deployed a total of 35,000 policemen for the election.