Guber polls: PSC warns police officers against partisanship

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has charged police officers to ensure the electorate are not disenfranchised in Saturday’s gubernatorial and State Assembly elections.

The PSC warned the police officers, who would be deployed to the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), not to show any sign of partisanship at various polling units in the country.

The Commission, in a statement issued on Monday by its spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, said: “Police officers on election duties should restrict themselves to ensuring that voters are allowed to discharge their civic responsibility and that their votes are protected.

“It demands that the police in collaboration with sister security agencies must ensure the votes of Nigerians in this Saturday’s Governorship and House of Assembly elections count.

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“The Commission warns that the police must not encourage the subversion of the people’s will at the polling and collating units and must not show any sign of partisanship whatsoever.”

The Commission noted that it is currently studying cases of police conduct in the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

The PSC stated that its officials deployed for the elections have since submitted their reports to the Commission.

While calling for an improved performance from police officers on election duties during Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections, the PSC disclosed that it was expecting reports from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on proven cases of misconduct for the Commission’s consideration.

Ani added that the acting PSC Chairman, Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi (Retd), has promised that better and improved performance from police officers will attract a reward from the Commission.

The PSC spokesperson quoted Ogunbiyi as calling on police officers on election duties on Saturday to “go all out and make the nation proud”.

The Star