20th February, 2023
The Police Service Commission has withdrawn the assignment given to Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammed, as one of the coordinators that will supervise the conduct of police officers during the general forthcoming elections.
The assignment was withdrawn after the complaints made by the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.
The Tinubu camp said it was insensitive to appoint Naja’atu as NorthWest coordinator of the Presidential Election after she was kicked out of APC “as a mole.”
“With the well-documented activities, actions, and vitriols of Naja’atu in the last few weeks against our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (after being shown the door out of the APC as a mole) we venture to say that this appointment is not only callous, it is insensitive, openly confrontational and consequently unacceptable by the Tinubu/SHETTIMA Presidential Campaign Council. Coming at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari is constantly assuring and reassuring the world of free, fair and credible elections, it confirms our worst fears that there are functionaries of government that are actively working with the opposition to thwart the avowed commitment of Mr. President,” the APC camp noted.
In reaction to the complaints, the commission immediately asked a former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Bawa Lawal (rtd) who is from the same geopolitical zone with Commissioner Najatu to take over the coordination of the monitoring of Police Conduct in the zone.
Ikechukwu Ani, the spokesman of the commission, confirmed the development.
He said, “the commission will always be sensitive to the wishes of Nigerians and will continue to contribute its quota to the sustenance of the nation’s democracy.”
Ani explained, “The Commission wishes to state with all sense of responsibility that its commissioners representing different geopolitical zones have always supervised assignments of the commission in the geopolitical zones they represent. It was the same with the present national assignment.
“It wishes to restate its commitment to a free and fair 2023 elections where the Police as the lead Agency in internal security which includes election policing will discharge its duties according to the dictates of the law.”