Abiodun Alabi, the commissioner of police for Lagos State, has urged the state’s political parties to abstain from using violence during the upcoming general election.
Alabi made the remarks on Tuesday, January 17, at a meeting of stakeholders on election security that the Lagos State Police Command had organized in the state’s Ikeja district.
The meeting of the state’s stakeholders included representatives from political parties, the police, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the chiefs of the state’s security agencies.
“A free and fair election is the hallmark of democracy,” said Alabi. “We, as crucial participants in the provision of security during the polls, have the obligation to guarantee that it is done in a peaceful and orderly way devoid of rancor, malevolence, brigandage, and thuggery.
“To achieve this, we urge the leadership of all political parties to re-dedicate themselves to undertaking their campaigns and electoral activities within the dictates of the Electoral Act 2022.
“In the same vein, during this electoral process, the police request the political actors gathered here to pledge to denounce electoral violence, hate speech, and other negative tendencies before, during, and after the votes.”
Alabi warned political thugs, cultists and other troublemakers against disrupting the electoral process.
He said: “Parents should equally warn their children to be law-abiding because we won’t listen to anybody when we arrest any troublemaker.
“We want to assure you that no cultists or political thugs would be allowed in the state. We are going to ensure that no political party’s supporters would be intimidated in the state.”
Alabi added that political violence, hate speech, threats, political intolerance, misinformation, and political extremism are potent threats to democracy and national security.
He said: “I, therefore, challenge the leadership of political parties and candidates, who are critical gatekeepers of our democracy, to demonstrate purposeful and patriotic leadership that will guarantee a peaceful electoral process and to develop a culture of political tolerance and display of political maturity by allowing healthy competition among themselves.”