Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Usaini Gumel, has announced that plans are underway to collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to address issues of vote buying during the upcoming re-run elections in three constituency seats of the Kano State House of Assembly.
This comes as the commissioner also added that vigilantes, Hisbah, and all other state-controlled security outfits would not be deployed for the conduct of the February 3rd, 2024, re-run elections.
Gumel made this known while addressing the press shortly after an emergency meeting of the Kano Election Security Committee on the preparations for the elections in the state.
He stated that security matters during the election rest solely on the shoulders of personnel from the Nigeria Police Force and other federal security agencies, excluding the state-controlled security outfits.
The Police Commissioner, who also serves as the Co-Chairman of the committee, mentioned that this decision aims to ensure that the security of the election lies with the police authority and other security agencies recognized by the law.
“Be aware that we are not going to deploy personnel who are not members of the Nigerian Police Force and major federal security agencies in this election. Vigilante or security agencies that are not federally recognized by the law will not take part in providing security during the election.
“With this, we assure you that the election will be hitch-free, as it has happened in the past. We have done it before. We have the capacity, manpower, and resources. So, with this, I will say we are good to go.
Earlier, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, Amb. Abdu Zango, expressed the readiness of the commission and vowed to conduct free, fair, and credible elections in the state.
He called on the electorate to turn out en masse to exercise their franchise, as adequate security measures have been put in place to ensure hitch-free elections.
According to him, INEC has fixed February 3rd, 2024, for the conduct of re-run elections in Kunchi/Tsanyawa constituency, Kira/Garun Mallam constituency, and Tofa/Rimingado Constituency of the Kano State House of Assembly.
