The Police Service Commission views the commendable performance of the Police during the Osun State Governorship election as a signal that future elections in the country may witness good coverage by Police and other security agencies.
The Commission monitored Policemen on election duties in the 30 Local Government Areas of the state and rated their performance above average.
Head, Press and Public Relations of PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, said: “The Policemen arrived the Polling centres on time and were professional in their conduct. They exhibited a high level of commitment to their duties and were able to restore orderliness in most of the polling Units. There was an average of three policemen in most of the Units who were properly dressed with their name tags and were also firm and courteous to voters.”
He noted that despite initial squabbles in few polling Units, the Police with the assistance of officers of the Civil Defence, Federal Road Safety and in some places, the men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Department of State Security were able to quickly restore peace and order.
“The Polling units were devoid of arms carrying security Agencies in line with the requirements of the law, but both armed Military men and special forces of the Police mounted roadblocks and paraded the streets. Commission Monitors across the state reported that there was no major violence recorded in most of the polling Units visited. The policing of the Osun Governorship election was a huge improvement on the last Governorship election in Ekiti state earlier widely adjudged free and Fair,” said Ani.
Chairman of the Commission, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police said the progress recorded in election policing in Osun State was a good signal that the 2023 General elections would be a huge success.
He called on the Nigeria Police to sustain the momentum and preparations for future elections while assuring of the support of the Commission to ensure improved performance in future elections.
He concluded that the Commission would continue to promptly reward Officers who display exemplary performance in the discharge of their duties to serve as motivation for others to copy.
