Former Federal Commissioner for Information in Nigeria , Chief Edwin Clerk has commended President Bola Tinubu and Governor Siminalayi Fubara on peaceful conduct of local government election in Rivers State on Saturday.
Chief Edwin Clark who made the commendation in a personally signed statement issued to journalists in Abuja on Monday , said the commendation to President Tinubu and Governor Fubara on the election, was more driven by non involvement of Police in the election and yet , very peaceful and successful.
He therefore called on the federal government, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), to have a rethink on humongous amount of money always expended on security through involvement of Police and other security agencies during general elections or other ones , like the recently conducted one in Edo state.
The statement reads in part : “This achievement, despite the deliberate boycott of the police from participating in the elections, demonstrates that the people of Rivers State, and indeed, Nigerians as a whole, are mature and patriotic enough to conduct elections and manage their affairs without interference from the police.
“This is a significant and commendable development because there has never been any election, be it presidential, state, or local government, where the security agencies, particularly the police, were not involved, with significant amounts of public funds expended.
“The fact that a statewide Local Government election can be conducted in a free, fair, and credible manner without the loss of lives and destruction of property is a remarkable experience.
“How do we reconcile this with the recent governorship election in a neighboring Edo State, where over 40,000 officers and men of the Nigerian police force were deployed, at a huge cost to the government, followed by complaints and contestations at different levels?
“I suggest that the Federal Government, and indeed, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), should thoroughly examine this development with a view to finding ways to reduce the high electoral expenditures in the country.
“I want to specifically commend President Bola Tinubu and Governor Siminalayi Fubara for providing the enabling and peaceful environment for conduct of the election”.