Election: Police warn miscreants in Benue

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The Benue State Police Command has warmed strongly that miscreants who will try to truncate efforts made to ensure a successful election in the State will not be handled with levity.

The State Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass who gave this stern warning in a statement signed by Police Public Relations’ SP Catherine Anene, called on parents/ guardians to warn their children/wards to desist from being used for election violence, even as he urged the electorates to come out and perform their civic duties without fear of any kind.

The CP stated that as the lead security agency on internal security in the state, the command, under his watch has been able to liase with other security Agencies to assess strength, challenges and threats, and plan towards allocating available resources/assets to successfully manage the electoral process in the state. He also, directed all police officers to be guided by extant laws, rules and regulations as well as standard norms and practices as summarized in the Revised Standard Operational Guidelines/ Rules for Police Officers and Other Law Enforcement Agents on Election Dutiesa handbook produced by the Force and issued to every police officer, emphasizing the need for them to be apolitical.

A104-year-old woman, High Chief Lolo Iyom Josephine Ezeanyaeche, has endorsed Mr Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed for president, saying they would make Nigeria an investment hub.

Ezeanyaeche, also the Chairman Emeritus of “The Voice for Senior Citizens of Nigeria”, known as Mama Africa, said this when she visited the Labour Party office in Abuja.

According to her, the endorsement of Obi as the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was because he is qualified as the number one out of the four major contestants.

“The search light for his selection was nationally oriented and accepted for his visionary leadership, integrity, transparency, competence, capacity, character, selflessness, enlightenment, education, nationalistic and globally acclaimed.

“Calling him for this honourable task in our assessment will comfort Nigerians for a new beginning.

“Obi will fix the economy and create jobs, if the economy is fixed, it will be easier tackling insecurity, fighting corruption and improving social well-being of the people.

“Peter Obi will passionately undertake major constitutional changes that will bring about devotion of power, fiscal federation and entrenching of good governance and rule of law.”

Ezeanyaeche said that Obi has great opportunity to change the course of the country’s future for good. And he has the character, competence and capacity looking at his previous achievements, and previous performances.

She added that Obi would unite the people of Nigeria in all ramifications to make Nigeria one united family.

She said that Nigerians are long yielding for younger generation to take the mantle of leadership to rescue her from current predicament.

“Nigerians will be healed of the wounds caused by incompetent leadership,”she said

The Chairman of the Party, Mr Juius Abure, thanked Ezeanyaeche for believing in Obi to transform Nigeria.

Abure said that in the last few days, a lot of groups and political parties have endorsed Obi because they know he would deliver.

“I, therefore, want to urge all our supporters that on the 25th of this month which is Saturday, they should all come out to cast their votes for the labour party.

Abure said that they had been assured by security agencies that they are on top of the matter.

He added that LP have confidence in INEC, led by Prof. Mahoud Yakubu, to do the right thing.

“I, therefore, want to use this opportunity to appeal to INEC that the standard they have laid, the integrity they have built over the year, they must crystalize it by their activities in this election.