Police Service Commission (PSC) on Monday replaced Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammad as its Northwest coordinator that would supervise the conduct of police officers during the February 25 and March 11 elections.
This is coming hours after the APC presidential campaign council protested her appointment by the PSC.
The Kano-born politician was a director in charge of civil societies in the APC presidential campaign council, until recently when she defected to PDP and joined the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign council.
The APC campaign council disclosed this in a statement by its chief spokesperson Festus Keyamo on Monday.
The statement said, “We are deeply shocked and appalled to read a release by the Police Service Commission appointing one of its most partisan members, Naja’atu Bala Muhammad as a NorthWest coordinator of the Presidential Election. In that role, she is expected to move about freely, supervising the conduct of Police Officers during the elections.
protested her inclusion among 45 coordinators who will monitor the conduct of the police officers on election duty.”
However, the police commission immediately bowed to pressure, saying it had asked a former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Bawa Lawal (rtd) as Naja’atu’s replacement.
Lawal hails from the same geopolitical zone with Naja’atu.
PSC spokesman Ikechukwu Ani, said on Monday that, “The commission will always be sensitive to the wishes of Nigerians and will continue to contribute its quota to the sustenance of the nation’s democracy.”
“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.
“It wishes to restate its commitment to a free and fair 2023 elections where the Police as the lead Agency in internal security which includes election policing will discharge it’s duties according to the dictates of the law.”
