Police Have No Political Interest In Osun Election, Says IGP

The Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, has assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force will remain professional, apolitical and impartial before, during and after the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.

Disu gave the assurance on Friday in Abuja when representatives of civil society organisations, led by the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Rafsanjani, paid him a courtesy visit to discuss election security ahead of the poll.

The IGP said the meeting reflected the shared commitment of the police and civil society organisations to ensuring a peaceful, credible, free and fair governorship election in the state.

Disu acknowledged concerns over election security, including possible violence, voter intimidation, thuggery and questions about the neutrality of security agencies, saying such concerns were legitimate and should be addressed through dialogue, transparency and practical measures.

“I want to assure Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force has taken these concerns seriously and has put in place comprehensive security arrangements for the election,” he said.

He added, “The Nigeria Police Force remains a professional, apolitical and impartial institution. We have no candidate, no political party and no vested interest in the outcome of the election other than ensuring that the lawful choice of the people prevails.”

Disu said all police officers deployed for election duties had been reminded of their constitutional responsibility to enforce the law without fear or favour.

According to him, the police would provide a secure environment for eligible voters to exercise their constitutional rights freely and without intimidation.

The IGP disclosed that adequate personnel and operational assets had been deployed across the state ahead of the election, while intelligence gathering and threat assessments had been intensified to identify and address potential threats before they escalate.

He said the police were working with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, the Independent National Electoral Commission and other relevant stakeholders to ensure effective coordination during the election.

Disu warned that anyone found engaging in vote buying, voter intimidation, ballot box snatching, thuggery or other electoral offences would face the law, irrespective of political affiliation or status.

He urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves responsibly before, during and after the election, stressing that elections should be contests of ideas and policies rather than violence and intimidation.

The IGP said no political ambition was worth the loss of a single Nigerian life and called on political leaders to prevail on their supporters to reject violence and respect the rule of law.

Disu also urged residents of Osun State to come out peacefully and confidently to exercise their franchise, while advising voters not to be intimidated by rumours, misinformation or the actions of individuals seeking to disrupt the democratic process.

He encouraged members of the public to promptly report suspicious activities or violations of the law to the nearest security personnel.

Earlier, Rafsanjani said the civil society groups visited the police leadership to strengthen collaboration on election security and support efforts towards a free, fair and credible election.

He said the CSOs were concerned about political tensions and the need to guarantee the safety and security of Nigerians during elections.

Rafsanjani said civil society organisations were ready to support security agencies in carrying out their duties without bias or partiality, adding that public confidence in the electoral process was important.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said the organisation and other CSOs had independently monitored developments surrounding the Osun governorship election over the past months.

Itodo said the groups had used incident tracking, public perception surveys and pre-election observation to assess the electoral environment and had consolidated findings from the different monitoring methods.

He said the purpose of the visit was to present emerging election security risks identified through their observations ahead of the poll.

According to Itodo, the Osun governorship election is significant because it could provide an indication of how stakeholders and institutions may perform ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said the election presented an opportunity to strengthen public trust not only in election management but also in the role of security agencies.

Itodo added that voters would expect the police and other security agencies to demonstrate neutrality in order to build confidence in the electoral process.