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 came after the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council alleged partisanship on the part of Naja’atu in a statement issued on Monday.
The PSC had announced on Sunday that Naja’atu, the former director of the Civil Society Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, would serve as one of the coordinators supervising police conduct during the forthcoming general elections. She was appointed alongside 44 other coordinators, and the commission warned that police officers who misbehave during the elections across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, would be dealt with accordingly.
Naja’atu, a Kano‑born politician, had previously criticized the ruling APC and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, after resigning from the party and her position. She argued that Nigeria’s challenges required her to continue championing the struggle for a better country with a clear conscience. However, her public comments against the APC and Tinubu later sparked controversy.
In a statement on Monday, the PSC said its attention was drawn to a press release by the APC Presidential Campaign Council objecting to Naja’atu’s appointment as a coordinator for monitoring police conduct in the February 25 presidential election. The statement, signed by the Director of Public Affairs and chief spokesperson of the Tinubu/Shettima campaign, Festus Keyamo, SAN, described the appointment as “callous, insensitive, openly confrontational” and unacceptable.
The PSC responded that its commissioners, representing different geopolitical zones, have always supervised assignments within their zones, and the same principle applied to the current national assignment. Consequently, the commission has mandated retired AIG Bawa Lawal, who hails from the same geopolitical zone as Commissioner Naja’atu, to take over coordination of police monitoring in the North‑West.
The commission affirmed its commitment to being sensitive to the wishes of Nigerians and to contributing to the sustenance of the nation’s democracy. It reiterated its dedication to a free and fair 2023 election, emphasizing that the police, as the lead agency in internal security and election policing, will discharge their duties in accordance with the law.
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