INSPECTOR-GENERAL of Police (IGP), 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.
News Point Nigeria reports that Disu gave the assurance on Friday in Abuja during a courtesy visit by representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs), led by Auwal Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC).
The CSOs visited the IGP to deliberate on election security concerns ahead of the Osun governorship election, with discussions focusing on violence, voter intimidation, activities of political thugs and the neutrality of security agencies.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Disu described the engagement as a reflection of the shared commitment between the police and civil society groups towards ensuring a peaceful, credible, free and fair governorship election in Osun.
The IGP said he was aware of concerns raised by stakeholders regarding election security, including possible violence, intimidation of voters, activities of thugs and questions surrounding the neutrality of security agencies.
He described the concerns as legitimate, stressing that they must be addressed through dialogue, transparency and practical actions.
“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,” Disu said.
“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.”
The police chief said all officers deployed for election duties had been reminded of their constitutional responsibility to uphold the law without fear or favour.
He added that the police would provide a secure environment where eligible voters could exercise their constitutional rights freely without intimidation.
Disu disclosed that adequate personnel and operational assets had been deployed across Osun State ahead of the election, while intelligence gathering and threat assessments had been intensified to identify and neutralise possible threats before they escalate.
“We are working closely with other members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), INEC and other relevant stakeholders to ensure effective coordination.
“Anyone found engaging in vote buying, voter intimidation, ballot box snatching, thuggery or any other electoral offence will be dealt with in accordance with the law, irrespective of political affiliation or status,” he said.
The IGP called on political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves responsibly before, during and after the election, urging them to see elections as contests of ideas and policies rather than opportunities for violence and intimidation.
He warned that no political ambition was worth the loss of a single Nigerian life, urging political leaders to caution their supporters against violence and encourage respect for the rule of law.
Disu also appealed to residents of Osun State to come out peacefully and confidently to cast their votes.
“Do not allow yourselves to be intimidated by rumours, misinformation or the actions of a few individuals who seek to undermine the democratic process.
“Where you observe any suspicious activity or violation of the law, promptly report to the nearest security personnel,” he advised.
Earlier, Rafsanjani said the visit was aimed at strengthening collaboration with the police towards improving election security and ensuring free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.
He said civil society organisations were concerned about rising political tensions in the country, stressing that the safety and security of Nigerians during elections remained a major priority.
“Our work as CSOs is to ensure that we support the security agencies to be able to do their work without bias or partiality or anything that will create or erode confidence of Nigerians and international community,” Rafsanjani said.
“We believe that with your track record, you will be able to lead this very important national assignment that we are going to have come 2027.
“As CSOs, we have met, discussed, and have come up with some key important recommendations and suggestions to have a free, fair, credible election that is free of violence, free of rancour.”
He said the recommendations could only be achieved with the cooperation and support of relevant agencies and institutions.
Also speaking, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said civil society groups had independently monitored developments surrounding the Osun governorship election over the past months.
“Whether it is incident tracking or public perception surveys or pre-election observation, we have consolidated some of the findings,” Itodo said.
“We have also collected evidence from these different methodologies deployed to observe the pre-election environment.
“Our purpose here today is to share principal election security risks that are emerging from our observation and building up to the Osun elections.”
Itodo said the Osun election was significant because it would serve as a reflection of what Nigerians could expect during the 2027 general election.
“Therefore, it has a lot of significance. It is a unique opportunity to inspire public trust, not just in the management of the election, but in election security,” he said.
He noted that voters would expect institutions responsible for election security to demonstrate neutrality in order to build public confidence.
According to him, the neutrality of the police and other security agencies remains one of the major concerns among citizens as the Osun governorship election approaches.