The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission has said that no fewer than 4,145 security personnel would be involved in the council polls slated for September 21.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that that the council polls is to elect candidates into 17 chairmanship and 260 ward councilorship positions in Enugu State.

The Chairman of ENSIEC, Prof. Christian Ngwu, told NAN on Wednesday in Enugu that at least one security personnel would be provided at each of the 4,145 polling units in the 17 council areas of the state.

“We are in close synergy with the lead agency in policing, which is the Nigeria Police, to get the required numbers and get the posting finalised.

“The security personnel to be deployed will be fully armed and they will ensure that no one causes obstruction to the voting exercise on Saturday,” he said.

The ENSIEC Chairman said that the commission had received and kept in safe custody all the non-sensitive materials for the council polls.

“We will also be receiving the sensitive materials for the elections a few hours to the exercise. ENSIEC is fully prepared for free, fair and credible council polls on Saturday. We want all eligible voters to come out en mass to elect their preferred candidates without fear or favour on the D-day,” he said.

NAN reports that two million voters are expected to participate in the council polls while ENSIEC has recruited 12,800 ad hoc electoral staff towards the smooth conduct of the election.

Meanwhile, the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, on Wednesday led his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Uche Ugwu, the lawmaker representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Senator Osita Ngwu, among others, to rally support for the chairmanship candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party.

At the final campaign rally held at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, Mbah said the 17 LGAs in the state needed strategic thinkers, builders and men with compassionate hearts who would help move the state out of poverty, and urged Enugu residents to vote for PDP candidates.

The governor emphasised that the need for visionary men to man the various local government areas stemmed from the fact that his administration needs people that would take development to the rural areas.

“The programmes we’re executing at the state level need to be consolidated. And we need men whose track records and integrity cannot be questioned, people who have demonstrated in their various places of endeavours that they’re capable and able to deliver. These are the people we’re presenting to you to support come Saturday, September 21.

“You must all come out on that day. Take nothing for granted. Don’t say that PDP has won, and therefore no need to come and vote. No. We need all the votes we can get for PDP that day,” Mbah said

He added that he had absolute confidence that the PDP candidates in the 17 LGAs and their running mates would deliver the dividends of democracy to the people at the grassroots.

The state chairman of the PDP, Dr Martin Chukwunwike, noted that the party had visited the 17 LGAs in the past weeks and expressed happiness with the massive turnout and support of the people for the party.

He commended Governor Mbah for using his numerous people-oriented projects to campaign for the party in every ward.

PUNCH