Osun 2014: Police performance in Osun, indicator for 2015 elections —AIG

The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone XI of the Nigeria Police, Mr David Omojola, has said the expected effective performance of policemen under Osun State command in ensuring a successful conduct of August 9 poll in the state would serve as possible indicators for anticipated success for 2015 general election. He made this known in Osogbo at a seminar organised by his zone for senior officers on the election violence, its avoidance and management ahead of the poll. Omojola maintained that officers in the zone, comprising Osun, Oyo and Ondo states, should be conscious of the fact that Nigerians considered the performance of police in the conduct of Osun State governorship poll as a “predictive basis of what may happen during 2015 general election”. In a speech delivered at the seminar, the AIG asserted that “the people of Nigeria, no doubt, consider the conduct of Osun State governorship election vis-a-vis the police performance basis for 2015 election and this lecture should keep us reminded of our duties and responsibilities in such challenging period”. While tasking the officers to be alive to the discharge of their duties, he said it was critical for them to display high professional standard, which is in conformity with the global best practice to achieve tremendous success in providing security for all categories of people, without consideration for any political party during and after the poll. According to him, “ as a major player in the sustenance of secured internal democracy, the invitation to other sister agencies ,who are co-key actors during the election becomes necessary”. In his address at the seminar, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr Ibrahim Maishanu., charged the officers to explore the benefits of the seminar for their professional practice, just as he lauded the AIG for organising such programme.