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Police commission bows to APC’s protest, removes ‘partisan’ Naja’atu from election role

Police commission bows to APC’s protest, removes ‘partisan’ Naja’atu from election role

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council on Monday rejected the appointment of Naja’atu Bala Muhammad as the North West Coordinator of police affairs for the February 25 and March 11 elections.

The Police Service Commission assigned Muhammad as one of the coordinators who would supervise the conduct of police officers during the general elections.

But the director of public affairs and spokesman of the APC campaign council, Festus Keyamo (SAN), in a statement on Monday demanded for her immediate withdrawal, saying she was partisan.

Muhammad, an active politician, had earlier resigned from the APC campaign council as director for civil society organisations, saying she could no longer support the presidential candidate of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead.

The APC wrote, “We are deeply shocked and appalled to read a release by the Police Service Commission appointing one of its most partisan members, Naja’atu Bala Muhammad as a North West coordinator of the Presidential Election. In that role, she is expected to move about freely, supervising the conduct of Police Officers during the election.

“With the well-documented activities, actions and vitriol 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.

“We need not emphasise that the role given to Naja’atu requires a honest and unbiased individual who will discharge the duties diligently and without reproach. The nation will not get that from Naja’atu.

“We therefore demand for the immediate withdrawal of the name of Naja’atu Bala Muhammad as a coordinator of the Police Service Commission for the North West or any region for that matter.

“She has an inalienable right to continue to campaign for any candidate of her choice and to vote for that candidate, but she cannot be given a garment to wear at this time that is meant only for neutrals.”

PSC bows

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has reacted by removing her as one of the coordinators that will supervise conduct of police officers during general forthcoming elections.

Her removal came barely five hours after APC protested her inclusion among 45 coordinators who will monitor the conduct of the police officers on election duty.

The commission said it had asked a former assistant inspector-general of police, Bawa Lawal (rtd) who is from the same geopolitical zone with Naja’atu to take over the coordination of the monitoring of police conduct in the zone.

Ikechukwu Ani, spokesman of the commission, said “the commission will always be sensitive to the wishes of Nigerians and will continue to contribute it’s 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.”

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