Lawal to Coordinate N’West for Saturday’s Polls as PSC Drops Mohammed

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Following objection to the nomination of Mohammed Naj’atu by the All Progressives Congresss (APC) presidential campaign council, the Police Service Commission (PSC), last night, mandated the Assistant Inspector General of Police Bawa Lawal rtd, to take over the coordination of the monitoring of police conduct in the North West zone for this Saturday’ election.

The APC had protested the appointment of 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 Saturday’s presidential election, alleging partisanship.

A statement by the Director of Public Affairs and one of the spokesperson of theTinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, SAN, rejected Najatu asNorth West coordinator for the exercise.

Keyamo stated in the statement that the appointment was not only “callous, it is insensitive, openly confrontational and consequently unacceptable by the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.

“We need not emphasise that the role given to Naja’atu requires an 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 NorthWest or any region for that matter.”

Thus, in effect, the PSC in a statement by its Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, wrote: “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 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.

“It wishes to restate its commitment to a free and fair 2023 election, 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.”