Police Command in Akwa Ibom has urged political parties and residents of the state to promote peace during the Saturday’s local government council election.
The Commissioner of Police, Joseph Eribo, made the call while speaking at a meeting with political party representatives in Uyo yesterday.
Eribo said that the essence of the meeting was to emphasize the need to maintain peace during the local government election.
The Police Commissioner urged politicians to caution their supporters against acts capable of causing crisis and tension.
“We urge you to stay away from anything act that will cause trouble. Shun violence, conduct yourselves lawfully and orderly.
“We have to see ourselves as brothers no matter our political parties and the interest we protect, election is not a do-or-die affair”, he said.
He said that it was the duty of politicians and the residents of the state at large to make the election a huge success.
“We want this election to come and go. Politics is a game, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, we all cannot be winners at the same time”, he said.
In his remarks, Mr Aniedi Ikoiwak, the Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission, said that arrangements had been concluded for the conduct of the election.
Ikoiwak said that all non-sensitive materials had been distributed to the local government areas to ensure early commencement of the poll.
He said that accreditation and voting would be done simultaneously across the 4,433 polling units in 369 wards across the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that political party representatives who spoke at the meeting urged the election body to play the role of an unbiased umpire.
