From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has announced the replacement of Naja’atu Muhammad with Bawa Lawal, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, as one of the coordinators to monitor the conduct of police officers in the North-West during the upcoming general elections.
PSC Head of Press and Public Relations Ikechukwu Ani, who made the announcement, said Najaatu’s replacement followed the outcry by the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council over her alleged partisanship.
The PSC had on Sunday announced the appointment of Najaatu, a former Director in charge of the Civil Society directorate of the APC PCC, one of the commission coordinators that would be supervising the conduct of police officers during the elections alongside 44 others.
Ikechukwu, in a statement issued in Abuja, said: “The attention of the Police Service Commission has been drawn to a Press Statement by the All Progressive Congress Presidential Campaign Council on the appointment of Hon Commissioner Najatu Mohammed, Representing Women Interest and the North West in the Commission as one of the Coordinators for the monitoring of Police conduct in the February 25th Presidential election which the Council accused of partisanship. The Statement signed by Festus Keyamo, SAN, Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, rejected the appointment of Commissioner Najatu as Coordinator for the exercise.
The Campaign Council spokesperson stated in the Press Statement that the appointment is not only “callous, it is insensitive, openly confrontational and consequently unacceptable by the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.
“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.
“The Commission has decided to mandate Assistant Inspector General of Police Bawa Lawal (retd), who is from the same geopolitical zone as Commissioner Najatu, to take over the coordination of the monitoring of Police Conduct in the zone.
“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.
“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 it’s duties according to the dictates of the law.”