The Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have described Saturday’s Babura/Garki Federal Constituency by-election in Jigawa State as peaceful, orderly and successful.
In separate interviews with PUNCH Online after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared the results on Sunday, Jigawa Police Public Relations Officer, SP Shi’isu Adam, and NSCDC spokesperson, ASC Badruddeen Tijjani, praised what they called the strong security presence that kept the exercise calm across the two local government areas.
Adam explained via a telephone interview that “the dominance and presence of security personnel across all nooks and crannies of the election area curbed any potential violence or malpractice.”
He also highlighted the high compliance of voters with electoral guidelines.
“The peaceful environment ensured the election truly reflected the will of the people,” Adam stated.
Also, the NSCDC spokesperson in the state, ASC Badruddeen Tijjani, said, “Our coordination and synergy with other security agencies ensured smooth operations, and voters showed great discipline throughout the poll.”
Tijjani praised voters’ commitment, saying, “Their adherence to rules was crucial for this success.”
The NSCDC spokesperson explained further that although a few minor issues occurred at a polling unit in Babura town, security personnel quickly intervened to manage the situation.
He praised the prompt response and coordination among security agencies, which helped maintain order and allowed the election to proceed smoothly.
Tijjani highlighted that across the entire Babura/Garki federal constituency, security forces worked closely with INEC to prevent disruptions, emphasising that no arrests related to electoral misconduct were made.
Both officers confirmed that no single arrest was made regarding the election process and added that no amount of money for vote buying was recovered across both the two LGAs of the bye-election.
The two security agencies’ spokespersons collectively assured all that security forces remain ready to respond promptly to any arising challenges in the state
Efforts to get comments from the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Jigawa, Prof. Muhammad Lawan, were unsuccessful after a long wait at the INEC office in Dutse, leaving alot of questions unanswered.
Although some reports of BVAS malfunctions were recorded in other states, a Jigawa INEC official who declined to be named said no major technical glitches affected Saturday’s exercise.
