The Oyo State Police Command has disclosed that it has closed-circuit television in the state to monitor the forthcoming general elections.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Adebowale Williams, made this disclosure in his goodwill message at the South-West stakeholders’ roundtable on the 2023 general elections, which was organised by the Centre for Transparency Advocacy and held at the Koltol Hotel in Ibadan.
Williams, whose message was delivered by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Kasum, said he was confident that the elections would hold in a peaceful atmosphere.
Williams said, “As a leading agency, the police are fully ready to ensure free, fair, and credible elections. We are ready to work with other stakeholders and sister agencies to achieve this. In Oyo State, we have CCTV cameras that have been mounted in some strategic locations, and this will go a long way in assisting us in intelligence gathering.”
In her speech, the Executive Director of CTA, Faith Nwadishi, maintained that expectations and hopes were high because Nigerians are keen to ensure that their votes count.
She said, “The Centre for Transparency Advocacy, an accredited domestic observer group like many other stakeholders, is preparing for the election with the mandate to contribute its quota towards a free, fair, peaceful, inclusive, conclusive, and credible election.”
In his remarks, the state director of the National Orientation Agency, Odedokun Kayode, was also optimistic that various challenges orchestrated by the scarcity of fuel and new naira notes would not affect the elections.
The PUNCH reports that other stakeholders at the meeting included the representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Immigration Service, journalists, and civil and corporate organisations, among others.
