The Independent National Electoral Commission has dismissed rumours making the rounds that the forthcoming February 14 and 28 general elections will be postponed.
The Commission maintained that the elections will hold as scheduled.
It equally assured Nigerians that elections will be held in the North Eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa “if the coast is clear”.
The assurance was given by INEC in Abuja at a training workshop for security personnel who will be participate at the forthcoming general elections.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who gave the assurance, said there was no cause for concern over funding of the commission for the conduct of the February general elections.
Represented by one of the National Commissioners of the Commission, Dr. Ishmail Igbani, the Chairman said: “Anytime there is election in Nigeria, there is always some forms of tension.
“I have been around for a while and I don’t think it is something new.
“I don’t think people should be afraid.
“But it is also essential that we get ready just in case.
“It is also very important that we have peaceful election.
“It is also important that voters come out to vote without fear.
“It is also important that the personnel who will work for us and the environment itself is peaceful.
“And for it to be peaceful, it is important for the security agencies to be alert and ensure that they do what they are supposed to do.”
Jega revealed that a minimum of 50 security personnel were being trained at the workshop, stressing: “We call this cascade training.
“After this training of trainers, they will now go to their various security oragnisations to train others and so forth and this will go down the line.
“In that way, more will be trained in a cheaper way.”
Speaking at the workshop, the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, warned sternly that the police authorities will not hesitate to deal with political actors who flout the electoral rules as stipulated in the Electoral Act.
The IGP, who was represented by Mohammed Ghanzali, the Commissioner in Charge of Election Monitoring, said the police, being the leading security agency for all elections, will enforce the rule of the law.
Abba’s words: “The only thing is that we are going to deal with anybody that thinks he is above the law.”
He explained that the number of policemen to be deployed during the forthcoming general election will be dependent on the population and the polling units as well the security personnel available among others.