By Oluwakemi Kindness
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force will remain neutral and ensure a peaceful, free and credible governorship election in Osun State, as civil society organisations warned of rising security threats ahead of the poll.
Speaking on Friday during a meeting with civil society leaders at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, Disu described the August 15 election as a major test for the police ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We know this is a litmus test for us. We are not afraid. We are ever ready to take up the challenge of handling this election.”
The IGP said police had already deployed personnel to the state in response to growing political tension, with plans to station at least four officers at each of Osun’s 3,673 polling units.
He also disclosed that an Election Commissioner of Police had taken over operations, while an Assistant Inspector-General would supervise the exercise.
“We have told our officers, our political party is the Nigeria Police Force.”
Disu warned officers against compromising the electoral process, saying any personnel found wanting would face sanctions.
“No political ambition is worth the loss of a single Nigerian life.”
Earlier, civil society organisations led by Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Samson Itodo of Yiaga Africa presented an election risk assessment to the police.
The coalition identified 13 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas as high-risk, citing killings, violent attacks and heightened political tension.
According to the groups, 34 people were killed in 44 election-related incidents between June 2025 and June 2026, with violence escalating from coordinated shootings to political abductions and attacks on public institutions.
“Thirteen out of the 30 local governments in Osun State are considered high risk due to killings, violent attacks and heightened political tension,” Itodo said.
Describing the election as the last major poll before the 2027 general elections, Itodo said the exercise would be a key measure of public confidence in election security.
“The Osun election is both an election security test and a public trust test.”
The coalition urged the police to maintain strict neutrality, adopt risk-based deployment to identified hotspots, enforce clear rules of engagement, investigate allegations of misconduct promptly and strengthen engagement with election observers and journalists.
Rafsanjani said civil society’s role was to support institutions in delivering peaceful and credible elections, stressing that the organisations were motivated by Nigeria’s democratic progress.
“We are not politicians. We are not anti-government. We are only interested in ensuring that our country gets it right.”
