Undercover police will infiltrate political parties ahead of 2019 – IGP Idris

– The inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris, lists some potential threats to the 2019 polls to include vote buying, militant groups, rigging, acts of thuggery, ballot box snatching among other vices

– Idris says the police officers are determined to discharge their duties in a professional manner that will reflect impartiality and fairness in the forthcoming 2019 general elections

– Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman, notes that the commission will deploy devices to track election finance so that politicians and their political parties would not go beyond the required expenditure limit

Undercover police operatives will infiltrate the ranks of political parties and their associates in order to frustrate vote buying in the 2019 general elections, the inspector general of police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has disclosed.

The police boss made the disclosure on Monday, December 3, when he spoke at the transition monitoring group (TMG) stakeholders’ round table on the 2019 general elections in Abuja, Vanguard reports.

Idris who was represented by the commissioner of police, federal operations, CP Kenneth Ebrison, listed some potential threats to the 2019 polls to include vote buying, militant groups, rigging, acts of thuggery, hooliganism, flash points of electoral violence, ballot box snatching and small arms and light weapons among other vices.

“In the case of vote buying, undercover operatives will infiltrate the ranks and file of the political parties and their associates to frustrate the emerging menace,” he said.

“Also, threat analysis carried out will ensure that tactical intelligence response and technical unit personnel will be deployed to all the six geopolitical zones and state commands before the commencement of the elections.”

The police boss said the force was determined to discharge its duties in a professional manner that will reflect impartiality and fairness in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.

On his part, INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, who was also at the event, said the commission would deploy devices to track election finance so that politicians and their political parties would not go beyond its required expenditure limit.

Meanwhile, the forum of presidential candidates has warned President Muhammadu Buhari against signing into law the amended Electoral Act passed by the National Assembly.

The Nation reports that the forum faulted the section of the new Act, which stipulates electronic verification of voters and transmission of results.

TRACKNEWS.NG gathered that the forum’s chairman and presidential candidate of Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA), Alhaji Shitu Mohammed Kabir, said that the new Act is embedded with “deliberate hurdles” capable of derailing the 2019 general elections.