The Nigeria Police says it is set to provide tight security during the primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party scheduled to hold in Abuja at the end of the month.
This was as the National Association of Nigerian Students vowed to carry out its initial threat to disrupt the presidential primaries of both parties in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja if the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities persists.
The APC has fixed its presidential primary for May 29 and 30 while the PDP scheduled its primary for May 28 and 29. Both are to be held in Abuja.
However, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, on Friday said that adequate personnel and materials would be deployed for the protection of aspirants, delegates, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, party officials and other dignitaries that would participate in the primaries.
Adejobi stated, “An operation order has been prepared by the Department of Operations, Force Headquarters, Abuja, upon the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, to provide adequate security at the two primaries. We have done adequate deployment of human and material resources; our ICT and intelligence assets have been equally deployed. We are working with other security agencies in this regard.”
Asked how the security agencies would cope with manning the PDP and APC and PDP presidential primaries holding less than about 24 hours apart, Adejobi gave an assurance that the police had what it would take to ensure hitch-free primaries.
He added, “With all these arrangements on ground, we don’t envisage any hitch. Even if we have the two (primaries) the same day, there will be no issues at all. We have what it takes to police the events.”