Usman Baba, the Inspector General of Police, met with police commissioners and other senior officers on Thursday in Abuja to address matters pertaining to the general election of 2023.
Deputy IGs, CPs from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as other top police personnel, attended the IG Conference.
In order for the police to engage in an all-inclusive strategy to re-evaluate policing techniques against the backdrop of the dynamics of crime in the country, the conference was focused on deconstructing present law enforcement realities.
The IG added that the primary goals of the conference were to assess the changing political platforms as outlined by the Independent National Electoral Commission and to lay out a clear route for a successful electoral process leading up to the general election of 2023.
“As you are aware, in compliance with Sec. 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC has confirmed that electioneering campaigns by all political parties would officially commence on September 28, 2022.
“The import of this is that the national political space will soon become active and the possibility of increase in politically related offences may become heightened across the country. As the lead security agency in the election security process, the political campaigns security governance is, primarily, the statutory obligation of the Nigeria Police Force,” he said.
He continued by saying that the police chiefs in attendance are directly responsible for providing the necessary professional leadership to carry out the election security mandate. He also said that the Electoral Act of 2022 and the Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement for Security Personnel on Electoral Duty, which were released in 2020 by the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, must continue to serve as a guide.
He said, “These two election security instruments grouped the mandate of the police into four key fields as follows: Ensuring the safety and security of all persons and properties that will be involved in the entire electoral process without bias.
“Strict enforcement of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Criminal/Penal Code as well as the electoral laws without fear or favour; Security, traffic, and crowd management at venues of political parties’ campaigns, rallies and other activities relating to the elections. The security of the public space towards guaranteeing a crime-free and enabling environment for the political campaigns and other components of the electoral process to thrive.”
