The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has refuted claims that security agencies manipulate election outcomes in Nigeria, insisting such allegations are baseless and unfair.
Speaking at the third National Democracy Stakeholders Summit in Abuja, on Monday, Egbetokun said the police remained impartial actors during electoral exercises, with no role in determining or influencing vote counts.
Represented by the Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory, Adewale Ajao, the police chief clarified that the role of officers during elections was strictly limited to maintaining order and securing the process.
“The idea that the police are involved in rigging is pure imagination.
“We are not partisans—we are not umpires. We don’t count votes; we only monitor the process while INEC does the collation,” Egbetokun said.
The remarks come amid lingering controversies from the 2023 general election, where both the opposition and the ruling All Progressives Congress accused each other—and election stakeholders—of complicity in widespread irregularities.
Both Atiku and Obi rejected the results, citing violence, vote suppression, and massive rigging during separate post-election press briefings.
But Egbetokun stressed that the police were constantly working to build professionalism through collaboration and capacity-building.
“We have renewed inter-agency synergy, including with INEC, civil society organisations, and the media.
“Our officers are undergoing continuous training to keep them aligned with democratic standards. I believe the results are becoming evident in off-cycle elections,” he said.
Egbetokun also addressed growing calls for the Federal Government to grant citizens the right to bear arms, warning that such a policy would escalate violence rather than curb it.
“You can’t solve violence with violence. The solution lies in dialogue, tolerance, and mutual surveillance. Armed citizenry will only compound our security challenges,” he said.
He stressed that Nigeria must learn from the experiences of other countries where such policies had failed to bring peace.
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