Her removal came barely five hours after the ruling APC protested her inclusion among 45 coordinators who will monitor the conduct of the police officers on election duty.
The Nigerian Police Service Commission has replaced the former Director of the Civil Society directorate of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammed, as one of the coordinators that will supervise conduct of police officers during general forthcoming elections.
Her removal came barely five hours after the ruling APC protested her inclusion among 45 coordinators who will monitor the conduct of the police officers on election duty.
The PSC had appointed Muhammad, a former Director of the Civil Society Directorate of the APC PCC as one of the coordinators to supervise the conduct of police officers during the February 25 and March 11 general elections.
However, the APC PCC, in a statement on Monday signed by its spokesman, Festus Keyamo, emphasised that the role given to Naja’atu required an honest and unbiased individual who would discharge the duties diligently and without reproach.
"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 North-West coordinator of the presidential election. In that role, she is expected to move about freely, supervising the conduct of police officers during the elections,” the APC had said.
Meanwhile, the commission rescinded its decision, saying it had asked a former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Bawa Lawal (rtd) who is from the same geopolitical zone with Commissioner Najatu to take over the coordination of the monitoring of Police Conduct in the zone.
Ikechukwu Ani, spokesman of the commission, told Daily Trust 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.”
Ani explained, “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 its duties according to the dictates of the law.”