The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that upcoming elections would go on as scheduled despite security concerns.

This was announced on Monday in Abuja at the validation of election security training resources by INEC national commissioner and chairman, board of the Electoral Institute, Abdullahi Zuru.

Zuru assured the public that the commission was leaving nothing to chance in its preparations for the polls, and that they were providing comprehensive and rigorous protection for all electoral people, materials, and processes.

The existing security threats in many sections of the country, he noted, make this a priority.

“Moreover, if the insecurity is not monitored and dealt with decisively, it could ultimately culminate in the cancellation and/or postponement of elections in sufficient constituencies to hinder declaration of elections results and precipitate constitutional crisis,” he said.

“This must not be allowed to happen and shall not be allowed to happen.

“Therefore, security personnel in particular and all election officials in general must be security conscious and alert to unusual activities in their environment and must be fully equipped to deal with any challenge at all times.”

The commissioner said that the national security advisor, Babagana Monguno, and the chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, have both guaranteed a secure environment for the elections.

“Similarly, the inspector general of police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has conducted election security management workshops across the six geopolitical zones,” he said.

“On its part the commission, through the Electoral Institute, has institutionalised the development and implementation of a cascaded training mechanism for security personnel as a critical component of its training plan.”