From David Onuoja, Abuja
In a proactive move to strengthen democratic institutions and secure upcoming electoral activities in Taraba State, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), INEC Taraba State, Dr. Sa’ad Umar Idris, has last Wednesday, paid a strategic courtesy visit to the newly posted Commissioner of Police, CP Edwin Ogbegbagha, at the State Police Command Headquarters in Jalingo, Taraba State.
Dr. Idris, who was accompanied by senior management officials of the Commission, said the visit was aimed at deepening collaboration between the electoral body and security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) framework, ahead of future electoral engagements.
During the engagement, both leaders discussed key areas of collaboration, including strengthening ICCES operations, security of electoral infrastructure and personnel, and joint intelligence sharing.
The REC commended the Nigeria Police Force for its continuous role in providing a safe and conducive environment for democratic activities and stressed the need to optimise operational strategies to proactively handle electoral security challenges.
Deliberations was centred on enhancing protective measures around INEC state and local government offices, election materials and ad-hoc personnel during elections and ongoing administrative tasks such as the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection.
Both teams further agreed to establish enhanced channels for real-time intelligence gathering, early threat detection and swift response mechanisms across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.
In his response, the Commissioner of Police reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to proactive, intelligence-led and community-oriented policing. CP Ogbegbagha assured that the Command would remain professional, impartial and resolute in safeguarding the electoral space and ensuring citizens exercise their franchise without fear.
At the end of the meeting, the REC and the Commissioner of Police agreed to continue working closely to uphold law and order and to give citizens a safe and peaceful environment before, during and after elections.
