The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has assured the people of Osun State that the Nigeria Police Force will remain professional, neutral and impartial before, during and after the August 15 governorship election.
Disu said the police had no preferred candidate, political party or vested interest in the outcome of the election, stressing that its only responsibility was to protect the democratic choice of the electorate.
The IGP spoke on Friday in Abuja when a coalition 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 assurance came amid concerns over possible electoral violence, voter intimidation, vote-buying, political thuggery and the neutrality of security agencies in the election.
Disu said the concerns raised by the civil society groups were legitimate, adding that the police had put comprehensive security arrangements in place to protect voters and electoral personnel.
“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,” he said.
The police boss said officers deployed for election duties had been reminded of their constitutional responsibilities and directed to enforce the law without fear or favour.
He added that adequate personnel and operational assets had been deployed across the state, while intelligence gathering and threat assessments had been intensified to identify and prevent potential threats before they escalate.
According to him, the police are also working with the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security and other stakeholders to ensure effective coordination before and during the election.
Disu warned that the security agencies would not spare anyone who attempts to undermine the electoral process.
“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.
He appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to avoid inflammatory conduct and allow the election to remain a contest of ideas and policies rather than violence.
The IGP said no political ambition was worth the loss of a Nigerian life, urging political leaders to restrain their supporters and encourage them to respect the rule of law.
He also appealed to Osun residents to come out and vote without fear, warning them against allowing rumours, misinformation or the activities of troublemakers to discourage them from exercising their civic rights.
Disu urged voters to report suspicious activities and electoral violations to security personnel.
Earlier, Rafsanjani said the CSOs visited the police leadership to strengthen collaboration with security agencies and contribute to efforts towards ensuring a free, fair, credible and peaceful election.
He said civil society groups were increasingly concerned about political tensions in the country and the need to protect citizens during elections.
Rafsanjani said the CSOs wanted security agencies to discharge their responsibilities without bias or partiality, stressing that public confidence in the electoral process depended partly on the neutrality of security institutions.
He said the coalition had developed recommendations aimed at reducing violence and other threats ahead of the Osun election.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said the organisation and other CSOs had independently monitored developments surrounding the Osun election through incident tracking, public perception surveys and pre-election observation.
Itodo said the groups had consolidated evidence from their monitoring activities and were at the police headquarters to present the major election-security risks identified ahead of the poll.
He described the Osun election as significant because of its potential implications for the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the election provides an opportunity for security and electoral institutions to demonstrate neutrality and rebuild public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
“The electorate would want to see institutions demonstrate neutrality so they can have confidence in them,” Itodo said, identifying the neutrality of the police and other security agencies as a major concern among voters.
The Osun governorship election is scheduled for August 15, with heightened attention on the ability of security agencies, political parties and electoral stakeholders to prevent violence and protect the integrity of the ballot.
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