Where are the Police?
Inspector General of Police (IG), Usman Alkali Baba
POLITICAL NOTES
Many Nigerians can’t help but wonder if there are police at all in the country. Or have they been compromised? This is due to the reckless manner some politicians have been conducting themselves ahead of the 2023 general election without any challenge by the police.
For instance, recently the Majority Leader in the House of Representatives is Alhassan Ado Doguwa, was caught on video threatening to deal mercilessly with Nigerians who would not vote for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
“It is either you vote for APC or we deal with you mercilessly,” Doguwa said while campaigning in a viral video seen on social media
In the video, the lawmaker repeated the threat as hordes of his supporters chorused in support of him.
In a similar manner, the Kano APC chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, had earlier threatened that the APC would win the forthcoming elections by hook or crook.
“People are saying that I should stop saying the APC will capture Kano by hook or crook. I want to tell this gathering that the APC will capture Kano by hook or crook,” Abbas threatened.
In Rivers State, the residence of the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council in the State, Senator Lee Maeba, was attacked last Thursday.
Other PDP chieftains supporting Atiku Abubakar in the state are being attacked and threatened and yet the police are looking the other way.
The police cannot say that they do not know the law. Section 93(1) clearly states: “A party, candidate, aspirant or person or group of persons shall not directly or indirectly threaten any person with the use of force or violence during political campaign in order to compel that person or any other person to support or refrain from supporting a political party or candidate.”
This is what is clearly happening in these states and many others, yet the police have not arrested anyone. The police have ignored the politicians who are contravening the law of the land and threatening democracy. Politicians who are contravening the laws governing elections in Nigeria should recall what happened to previous civilian administrations in the country.
