Elections– We must remain apolitical-DIG

Mr Muhammad Hafiz, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of North West for the 2023 general elections on Thursday warned security personnel to remain apolitical throughout the process.

Hafiz spoke on Thursday in Sokoto when he addressed the joint security personnel deployed to cover the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assembly election in the state.

“We are not politicians, our political party is Nigeria, we should maintain the status quo.

“Our mandate as directed by the Inspector-General of Police is to ensure secure environment for Nigerians before, during and of course after election,“ he said.

The DIG directed that the personnel must ensure the fulfillment of the commitment by President Muhammadu Bihari toward leaving a legacy that will be acceptable by Nigerians.

“We should sustain the President’s assertion that security personnel are for everybody and they do not belong to any political party.

“Therefore, we should continue to work together in ensuring a secured environment for Nigerians to vote for leaders of their choice before, during and beyond the elections,“ Hafiz said.

In the same vein, Hafiz while addressing political party leaders warned politicians to caution their support against indulging in any act that would cause breach of the peace.

“The security operatives will not allow any person or group to destruct the existing peaceful nature of the process,“ he added.

Earlier, Mr Muhammed Gumel, the Commissioner of Police in the state, assured the DIG that the security personnel in the state were fully ready for the elections.

“We have deployed enough security personnel that include Police, Army, Civil Defence and all other security outfits to ensure safety throughout the process and beyond,” he said.

Gumel added that the state security agencies had deployed no fewer than 7,000 personnel to cover the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

Source – NAN