The Nigeria Police High Command has again commended the “unparalleled professionalism” of its personnel that participated in the policing of the Ekiti gubernatorial elections, describing their selflessness and dedication to duty as having contributed to the success of the election, which was widely acclaimed to be free and fair.
In a statement by spokesman Frank Mba, the police described as “unkind and misleading,” the caustic remarks made in a television interview by the spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who it said claimed that a particular political stalwart held a meeting on the eve of the election with a so called “Strike Force”, comprising the Army, the Police and DSS, and instructed them to protect the interest of their benefactor. It strongly refuted the “improbable allegation” and warned politicians to desist from promoting such deliberate falsehood.
“While noting that at all times officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force only take lawful orders from their commanders, the Police High Command expresses gladness that at no stage of the election was any case of professional misconduct or partisanship reported against any Police officer, rather, the officers exhibited a high standard of discipline, fairness, civility and political neutrality all through the process, a conduct which Ekiti indigenes, election observers, the contestants and people of diverse socio-political leanings have attested to and applauded,” the statement said.
It advised politicians and other stakeholders to respect the wishes that it said were freely and voluntarily expressed through the ballot in a rancor-free atmosphere by the people of Ekiti, adding that the Police Force is neither a political party nor affiliated to any such group and therefore should be left out of partisan politics to enable it freely discharge its mandate of protecting the integrity of the electoral process dispassionately.