Heads of security agencies in Kaduna State have met with political parties and their candidates for an interactive session on the peaceful conduct of next year’s general elections.
Addressing the Stakeholders, Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Mr Yekini Ayoku explained that developments in the political space necessitated the engagement to avoid heating up the polity.
He noted that the engagement of non-state security outfits for campaigns, rallies and other activities in the electoral process is not allowed, while it is an offence to bear dangerous weapons during campaigns.
While advising the political actors on issue-based campaigns, the CP also warned against the use of thugs and other miscreants in the electoral process, as well as eschew violence, incitement, hate speech, use and defacing of opponents posters and banners.
Mr Ayoku assured that the Police and other security agencies would continue to accord necessary support to INEC as it midwife the electoral process.
In his remarks the INEC Resident Commissioner(REC) for Kaduna State Dr Mamudah Isa, reassured the political parties and their candidates of free, fair and credible election.
He tasked the political actors to conduct themselves according to the rules of engagement.
In a remark, Chairman of Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), of Nigeria, Kaduna state, Mikailu Abubakar described the meeting as timely, and urged political leaders and their candidates on issue based campaigns.
Some of the political parties that attended the engagement included All Progressives Congress-APC, Action Alliance-AA, All Progressives Grand Alliance-APGA, Labour Party-LP, New Nigeria Peoples Party-NNPP, Peoples Democratic Party-PDP, Peoples Redemption Party-PRP among others.
Abubakar Hamza