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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 while receiving a delegation of civil society organisations (CSOs) led by Auwal Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), who visited to discuss election security ahead of the poll.
He said the meeting underscored the shared commitment of the police and civil society to ensuring a peaceful, credible, free and fair governorship election in Osun.
Acknowledging concerns over election violence, voter intimidation, political thuggery and the neutrality of security agencies, Disu described them as legitimate issues requiring transparency and practical action.
“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.
Disu maintained that the police had no preferred candidate or political party.
“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.
He added that officers deployed for election duty had been reminded of their constitutional responsibility to uphold the law without fear or favour, while adequate personnel and operational assets had already been deployed across Osun State.
According to him, intelligence gathering and threat assessments have also been intensified to identify and neutralise potential threats before they escalate.
Disu warned that anyone found engaging in vote buying, voter intimidation, ballot box snatching, thuggery or any other electoral offence would face the full weight of the law regardless of political affiliation or status.
He urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves responsibly, stressing that elections should be contests of ideas rather than violence.
“No political ambition is worth the loss of a single Nigerian life,” he said, urging Osun residents to vote peacefully and report any suspicious activity to security personnel.
Earlier, Rafsanjani said the CSOs were committed to supporting security agencies in delivering free, fair and credible elections, while Yiaga Africa Executive Director Samson Itodo described the Osun governorship poll as an important test for Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general election.
