The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has assured Nigerians that the personnel of the police are preparing for the 2027 general elections, promising improved intelligence gathering, strategic deployment and surveillance to prevent violence and electoral disruption.
The assurance came amid concerns raised by the Inter-Party Advisory Council Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, over alleged political interference, violence, corruption and barriers to opposition participation ahead of the elections.
The duo spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the dissemination of the Ekiti and Osun governorship election observation reports and a dialogue on priority reforms.
The event was organised by the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria in collaboration with The Kukah Centre, The Albino Foundation Africa, Yiaga Africa, the International Press Centre and the Centre for Media and Society.
Disu was represented by Deputy Inspector-General of Police Isyaku Mohammed, who coordinated security operations during the 2026 Osun governorship election.
The IG added that police officers were undergoing training to improve their handling of election-related security challenges.
He said, “The success of the Osun governorship election wasn’t just by chance. A lot of work was put into it, not just by the police or the people, but also by stakeholders. And one of the things that made it easy for us was the ability to have clear plans. We knew what the situation was.
“One of the lessons we learned in the Osun election, which we intend to apply in the 2027 election, is that we need to have robust patrol and intelligence gathering, so that anywhere we perceive threats, we deploy accordingly. Of course, the 2027 election is a general poll. So each state is going to battle with its own problems.
“By and large, we are ready. We are now training our men to be able to manage election security. So far, we are on top of the situation, and we are getting ready. I hope and pray that the 2027 election will go well, just like the Osun poll.”
However, Dantalle warned that electoral violence, alleged political interference and restrictions on opposition parties could undermine the credibility of the 2027 elections if left unaddressed.
The IPAC chairman alleged that political actors often manipulated the electoral process for personal gain. He also criticised what he described as the failure to implement recommendations submitted by political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission to the National Assembly during the review of the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
“We are all witnesses to how a sitting senator in Osun came out to threaten and ordered his supporters to attack another party’s members. But nothing happened to him. In fact, nobody has been prosecuted. Why?” he asked.
The Allied Peoples Movement national chairman also questioned the financial barriers allegedly imposed on opposition parties seeking to display campaign billboards, saying such practices undermined fair political competition.
He said, “Even here in the FCT, you can only see the photographs and billboards of the sitting president. You can’t see that of any other candidate. That is because some outrageous amount of money has been imposed on other candidates for them to mount one. Is that a democracy? So, an election is a process. It’s not an event.”
“The police are also handicapped. The police will tell us that they are doing this or that, but we know the monocratic nature of the system. After all, we know who appoints the IG and considers his promotion? So, there is little or nothing they can do, even though they know the facts,” he said.
Midway through his speech, Dantalle appealed to police officers to resist political pressure and remain committed to their oath of office.
“My message to you is that today you are in the police force. Tomorrow, you will become a civilian like me. And you might also want to run for a political elective office.
“So you are first a Nigerian before becoming a policeman. Even if there is influence or pressure on you to do some negative things, please look at yourself. See yourself as a Nigerian first and how it will affect you. Is what you are doing in line with the oath of office that you swore to protect?”
Earlier, the Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society, Dr Akin Akingbulu, called for stronger electoral safeguards, greater transparency and wider participation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Akingbulu said the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections offered lessons for improving electoral credibility, including ensuring accurate results, protecting ballot secrecy, guaranteeing voters’ freedom of choice and safeguarding journalists and election observers.
He said more than 1,400 accredited citizen observers monitored the elections across Ekiti’s 16 local government areas and Osun’s 30 local government areas.
Akingbulu added that the observation report was intended to identify gaps and recommend improvements rather than merely find faults, stressing that lessons from the polls should inform efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.