The Police Service Commission (PSC) has replaced Naja’atu Muhammad with retired Assistant Inspector‑General of Police Bawa Lawal to coordinate the monitoring of police officers’ conduct in the North‑West region during the presidential election. This change follows an outcry on Monday by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, which accused Naja’atu of partisan affiliation.
The PSC had announced Naja’atu’s appointment on Sunday, naming her—formerly Director of the Civil Society Directorate of the APC PCC—as one of the coordinators tasked with supervising police conduct in the forthcoming elections. The appointment sparked controversy after reports highlighted that the Kano‑born politician had criticized the ruling APC and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, after resigning from the party to support the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
In response, the APC issued a statement through Festus Keyamo, chief spokesperson for the Tinubu/Shettima PCC, rejecting Naja’atu’s appointment. The PSC subsequently issued a statement explaining that it had withdrawn Naja’atu from the role. The commission noted that the APC PCC’s press release had accused the appointment of partisanship, specifically citing Naja’atu’s representation of women’s interests and the North‑West zone.
The PSC clarified that its commissioners, representing different geopolitical zones, have always supervised assignments within their respective zones, and this practice continued for the current national assignment. Consequently, the commission decided to mandate retired AIG Bawa Lawal—who hails from the same geopolitical zone as Commissioner Naja’atu—to take over coordination of the monitoring of police conduct in the North‑West.
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