THE ROLE AND PERFORMANCE OF SECURITY AGENCIES IN THE 2011 ELECTIONS

ByOtive Igbuzor, PhD

Hon. Commissioner, PSC

PURPOSE OF PRESENTATION

1. To underscore the importance of election in a democracy.

2. To outline the role of the security agencies in the 2011 elections.

3. To show the importance of monitoring the conduct of the police during elections.

4. To assess the performance of security agencies at the 2011 elections

OUTLINE OF PRESENTATIONS

1. Introduction2. Security Agencies and Elections3. Conduct of Security Agencies in Previous Elections4. Monitoring the conduct of Police during previous

elections5. Code of Conduct for Police6. Monitoring the 2011 Elections7. Performance of Security Agencies

1. INTRODUCTION

• It has been recognised all over the world that democracy is the best form of government.

• Elections are an important foundation of democracy.

• Through voting, citizens make choices among the contesting parties and candidates.

• The law and the processes are supposed to ensure that the winner reflects the intention of the voters.

The major purposes of elections are to:• ensure that voters freely choose those who will

represent them; • enable voters make choices among the parties,

candidates and programmes and • ensure that elected officials are accountable to voters

and citizens.• There are a lot of challenges with the conduct of

elections in Nigeria from the 1922 election to the 2007 election.

2. SECURITY AGENCIES AND ELECTIONS

• The success or failure of any election depends on the stakeholders performing their duties (INEC, Political Parties, Election Observers, Media and Security Agencies).

• The security agencies can make a difference in the outcome of elections.

• It is therefore important that security officers display the highest level of integrity, neutrality, professionalism and sense of duty.

• The protection of human life, voters, electoral materials and officials and the preservation of lawful and orderly electoral processes are necessary for credible, free and fair elections.

• Without adequate security, there cannot be credible, free and fair elections.

Role of Security in Elections• Safeguarding the security of lives and property of citizens during the electoral

process.• Ensuring the safety of electoral officers before, during and after elections.• Providing security for candidates during rallies, congresses, conventions,

electioneering campaigns and elections.• Ensuring and preserving a free, fair, safe and lawful atmosphere for

campaigning by all parties and candidates without discrimination.• Maintaining peaceful conditions, law and order around the polling and counting

centres. • Providing security for electoral officials at the voting and counting centres.• Ensuring the security of election materials at the voting centres and during

transportation.• Ensuring the security of all electoral material, personnel and citizens during

registration of voters, update, revision and any other electoral event.

General principles Guiding Policing of Elections

• The Police should be guided by and conform to appropriate principles, rules, code of ethics and laws governing police duties, especially in relation to crowd control and the use of force and firearms.

• The security operatives should devise and use proactive methods to prevent fraud, coercion, intimidation or other manipulation or violence

• The Police should collect effective intelligence information throughout the campaign period and day preceding to voting in order to be able to appreciate threats to free and fair elections in different places.

• the conduct of the Police on election day should ensure alertness, approachability, professionalism, maintenance of Impartiality, fairness, use of force, communication with superiors and commanders, awareness of the provisions of Electoral Act, reporting- File report at the end of duty, wearing of identification tags, co-operation and collaboration-with other stakeholders.

3. CONDUCT OF SECURITY IN PREVIOUS ELECTIONS

• Law enforcement and security agents in Nigeria have been criticized in the past for aiding and abetting electoral fraud.

• But security agents do not contest elections. Politicians rig elections with the aid of security agents and hinge the blame on the police.

4. MONITORING THE CONDUCT OF POLICE DURING PREVIOUS ELECTIONS

• The Police Service Commission has monitored the conduct of police during elections since then. In the 2003 elections, it was documented that more than 90 percent of the observed polling centres had police coverage but evidence of police impartiality was poor.

• The PSC monitored the Anambra 2010 gubernatorial election and the 2010 FCT Area Council elections and the January, 2011 gubernatorial re-run election in Delta State.

• The Police conducted themselves in a professional manner.

5. CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE POLICE

• The Police Service Commission in the exercise of its statutory function of formulating and implementing policies aimed at efficiency and discipline within the Nigeria Police Force produced guidelines for the conduct of police on electoral duty in Nigeria.

6. PSC MONITORING THE 2011 ELECTIONS

• Every Staff of the commission was involved. • National Co-ordinator (Chairman supported by

the Perm. Sec)• Zonal Co-ordinators ( Hon. Commissioners)• State Co-ordinators (Directors or the most

senior staff in each state)• 109 Telephone numbers was given to the

public: One telephone per senatorial district.

Election Dates

• National Assembly: 2nd April, 2011 (Aborted)• National Assembly 9th April, 2011• Presidential Elections: 16th th April, 2011• Gubernatorial/House of Assembly: 26th April,

2011Every PSC monitor travelled to the place of

monitoring on Thursday or Friday preceding the election on Saturday.

• The Commission deployed over 300 monitors who visited over 400 LGAs.

• We received over 1,500 phone calls during the national assembly elections and over 800 phone calls in both the Presidential and Gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly elections.

7. PERFORMANCE OF SECURITY AGENCIES

• Our own monitoring and several resports including that from CLEEN foundation and National Human Rights Commission indicated that the security agencies performed their roles creditably with high level of professionalism and impartiality.

SUCCESSES

• The security agencies displayed impartiality and neutrality in policing the 2011 elections.

• There was improved Co-ordination with the establishment of the Inter-Agency Co-ordinating Committee on Election Security with the Police leading the operations.

• Improved coverage in terms of deployment of security agencies.

CHALLENGES

• Most of the security agencies did not budget for the elections.

• The entire country was not covered especially in the rural areas because of the size of the country.

• A few officers were found wanting in the discharge of their electoral duties.

LESSONS LEARNT

• Leadership is very important in any organisation. The appointment of Professor Attahiru Jega and the pronouncement of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan provided an enabling environment for the security agencies to display impartiality and neutrality.

LESSONS LEARNT Contd

• Co-operation and co-ordinating of security agencies improves efficiency. There is the need to extend the co-operation to other areas of crime detection and control.

• Security agencies should budget for election expenses in 2015.

• Security agencies take a cue from the Political leadership. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan provided the enabling environment for the security agencies to be impartial and professional.

•THANK YOU