The Commissioner of Police of Osun State, Ibrahim Gotan has been mandated to step aside ahead of the August 15th governorship election, following complaints by some political parties and concerns over lack of trust in the fairness of the state command, Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has revealed.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Olatunji Disu has said the Commissioner of Police, Osun State, Ibrahim Gotan was duly requested by the commissioners to resign ahead of the Aug. 15th governorship election, on allegation of issues of confidence in the neutrality of the State command.
The decision was “not meant to be disciplinary action taken against Gotan, but precautionary measures that would enhance the trust within the public in the police, and bring credibility of the process,” said Disu.
This was revealed by the IGP in a meeting with the civil society organisations on Election security in Osun State on Friday. During the meeting, the Executive Director of YIAG Africa, Mr Samson Itodo was represented.
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Disu recalled that the state had increasingly experienced political violence over the years and charges had been levied at the police by political parties on the impending lack of neutrality with the incumbent commissioner.
The development encouraged the Police Force, hence, to dispatch the Electoral Commissioner of Police, Samuel Erale Etaifo, to oversee the acts of election security in the state in advance of time, he said.
The IGP said the move was prompted after his visit to Osun where he met with the political parties, as well as security reports, which indicated that there was a rise in violent activities linked to rival groups allegedly aligned to the political parties.
The relocation of command is coming at a time when Osun is set for an August 14, 2026, highly anticipated Governorship election where there is growing political tension between two belligerent contenders and their supporters.
Disu have issued a warning for politicians not to make the election poll an event of violence, criminal and cult groups. He has also condemned any effort by politicians to identify high-ranking police officers assigned to certain local government areas with the view to tossing them out ahead of the elections.
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Information on how the senior officers are deployed in the field will therefore not be given up until election day to minimise the risk of political manipulation, and prevent pressure on officers during their work.
The Nigeria Police Force has revealed its intention to deploy at least four officers to all the polling units in state. The move is as part of a wider security operation that aims to safeguard the electorate, election officials, political aspirants and ballot materials ahead of the poll, during the poll and after.
The police have also guaranteed the people of Osun do not need to fear doing their own assignment of the electorates, adding that political parties and their sympathisers are reminded to observe the electoral law and hence any act that could stifle the electoral process should be avoided.
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The measure of excluding the substantive commissioner and appointing a special electoral police commissioner clearly moves security preparation to the centre of the neutrality of the security architecture for the poll.
The first hurdle for the police is convincing the public that it’s a change for confidence not politics. In the eyes of political parties, the development underlines the necessity to allow security agencies to do their work without intimidation and without pressure from political parties.
Whether voters are able to move freely, polling booths remain secure, and competing parties are willing to accept that police have been acting fairly are the true tests of the effectiveness of the new security arrangement in the days leading up to election.
