Mary Onyia
With just a few day’s to go for the governorship election in Edo State on Saturday, federal government has deployed the first batch of the 35,000 police officers to ensure a peaceful election devoid of violence.
About seventeen political parties have fielded candidates for the poll with the main contenders being the All Progressives Congress candidate Senator Monday Okpebholo, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party.
The Defence Headquarters said the deployment of soldiers was meant to guarantee a safe environment for the electorate during the election.
The police officers are expected to work together with officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as well as soldiers in the state for a hitch free poll.
Already, with just a few days to the ‘D’ day, armed soldiers are seen patrolling the streets of Benin City, the state capital.
According to Punch newspaper, the Director Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, said the troops will be required to provide security during the elections and to buoy greater voter turnout.
He said, “During elections troops are required to provide security in order to encourage high voter turnout as well as ensure the safety of voters. The forthcoming election in Edo will not be an exception. The military is resolute on taking steps to ensure a hitch-free election in Edo State.”
However, the presence of the military in a democratic election has raised mixed feelings among the electorate. While many believe that the military has no place in a democracy, stressing that their presence will engender fear among the electorates and deter participation, others are of the opinion that their presence will ward off thugs and potential troublemakers.
Security expert, Taofik Onigbanjo, the Punch reports supports the use of the military in the election, but warned against using the soldiers to intimidate voters and residents of the state.
“The military presence is good to discourage those who may want to cause trouble before the election. I have seen the soldiers in several areas in town and their presence will be good for the smooth conduct of the election,” Onigbanjo said.
“However, the election should not be too militarised so that it will not appear like voters, party leaders, and others are being intimidated because this can put a question mark on the credibility of the election”, he said.
With additional report from Punch Newspaper