CENTRE for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has urged security agents to be neutral and not allow themselves to be used to rig the 2023 general election.
It urged citizens to be vigilant to ensure their votes count.
The group noted that security agencies have a role in ensuring the election is free and fair.
CACOL spoke at a meeting with security agencies on Prioritising anti-corruption and accountability issues during the upcoming 2023 elections in Lagos State: the role of the security agencies.
It was organised with Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (Cislac) as part of Good Governance, Accountability and Transparency Education (C-Gate) Project supported by MacArthur Foundation.
CACOL’s Chairman, Debo Adeniran, said if every security agent do their job “optimally and conscientiously”, it will be difficult for anyone to manipulate or disrupt the process.
He said federal might cannot succeed without their support.
“That is why we are conscientising them through this event. We hope they will act in a way that history will be kind to them.
“It is security agencies and people that will not allow subversive elements to succeed. A people united cannot be defeated.
“Once we are determined to have a society we can be proud of living in, it will be difficult for anyone to sabotage our choice. So, we must be vigilant,” he said.
After discussions with security agencies, participants made recommendations.
They said: “Effective security during elections should not be equated with mere physical presence of security agents.
“It includes the presence of security agencies, and their roles in terms of being impartial, protecting all political actors and voters and protecting electoral materials, venues, counting centres and prevention of violence during all phases of the elections.
“Before deployment of security agents, there must be proper briefings on roles and responsibilities.
“Security deployment must also be professionally executed to curb compromise by erring security officials.
“Security agents must be alive to their responsibilities in ensuring the safety and security of INEC officials, INEC infrastructures, voters and election observers, during and after elections.
“Law enforcement officials on election duty should ensure that electoral offences published by INEC are either prevented or controlled or do not take place on election days.
“These offences range from canvassing for votes; persuading any voter not to vote for any particular candidate or not to vote at all at the election; shouting slogans concerning the election; being in possession of any acid, offensive weapon or missile or wearing any dress or having facial or other decorations which in many events is calculated to intimidate voters; loitering without lawful excuse after voting or after being refused to vote; to the offence of voting or attempting to vote, when one’s name is not in the register of voters; among others.
“The curricula for the training of the police at all levels should include modules on democracy, elections, political parties and constitutional/statutory provisions on elections.
“The independence of the police force should be guaranteed by strengthening its autonomy from the control of the government of the day.
“The police force should be strengthened in areas of communication, weaponry and transportation for effective mobilisation, deployment and enhanced performance.
“Inter/intra agencies rivalry while performing election duties should not be encouraged. Rather, all security agencies should collaborate and see themselves as partners in progress working to achieve a common goal.
“Security agencies should investigate pre- and post-election violence, and bring perpetrators to book. This will go a long way to improve participation in the elections and serve as a deterrent to others.
“The media should mount pressure on security agencies to be more responsible, accountable and transparent in security provisioning, especially during the electioneering period.”