Police Service Commission, will be deploying a team of monitors to observe the conduct of Policemen on electoral duties during the Saturday, July 14th Ekiti State Governorship election.

According to Spokesman of the Commission, Ikechukwu Ani, the team will be led by the Commission’s Permanent Secretary, Musa Istifanus, saying the team is expected to resume work in Ekiti, Tomorrow July 11th, 2018 and will cover the three Senatorial zones of the state.

The monitoring exercise, Ani says, is in the discharge of the Commission’s Constitutional mandate to hold the police accountable in carrying out its electoral duties.

He says officials of the Commission, monitoring police conduct during the elections in the three Senatorial Zones, can be reached through dedicated phone lines.

Ani gave the numbers to include: 08059702950 for Ekiti North Zone, 08033010905, for Ekiti South Zone and 08088155981 for Ekiti Central zone.

He warned that the Commission would not hesitate to discipline any police officer found wanting in the discharge of his/her electoral duties, saying the Police Officers on electoral duties in Ekiti were expected to turn out for duty neat and in their prescribed uniform and identification/name tag which must be identifiable to the public.

Ani said Police Officers on electoral duty are also not allowed to have on them un-authorised item of accoutrement/kit like cudgel, and horsewhip.

He said, “At no time will police personnel deployed to polling units be allowed to carry firearms.”

Ani said officers shall at all times exercise maximum restraint while covering political gatherings or deployed at voting/collation centres”

He said, “The Commission Monitors will be looking out for Officers who will compromise these laid down rules and guidelines and will expect the electorates in Ekiti to call its dedicated lines to report any case of misconduct.”

The Nigeria Police which earlier announced the deployment of 30, 000 personnel on election duty in Ekiti had said, “Special security identification tags will be worn by all security personnel deployed for the election.”

Police spokesman, Acting DCP, Jimoh Moshood explained that, “No personnel of any security agency will be allowed to move to any other location other than where they were deployed throughout the election period.”

He said, Security personnel attached to public office holders and politicians will not be allowed to follow their principals to the polling units or collation centres throughout the election.

“Security personnel are hereby warned to desist from escorting their Principals and Politicians to polling units and collation centres during the election. Any deviant security detail will be apprehended and dealt with accordingly.” He said.