Some presidential candidates for the 2023 general elections have petitioned the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the international community over alleged unbalanced posting of top police officers in favour of the South-West region.
They alleged the posting was done to help the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is from the South-West region, to rig the poll.
According to them, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Musiliu Smith, has approved the posting of 16 indigenes who hail from the South-West region to serve as commissioners out of the 37 Police Commands in the country – 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT). The petitioners alleged that Smith, who is a former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and from the South-West, carried out the lopsided postings in collaboration with the present IGP, Usman Alkali Baba, who is from Yobe State, in the North-East region.
Also approved are the postings of seven Assistant Inspectors-Generals of Police (AIGs) who are from the South-West to seven out of the 17 zonal headquarters, the petitioners alleged. “We considered these postings as a plot to rig the 2023 presidential election using the relationship between the APC and the two top police officials”, the petition read.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari, at his last media chat late last year, said he had his own preferred candidate for the 2023 presidential election, but declined to give a clue, saying the candidate may be harmed or even be eliminated before the time.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the Presidential and National Assembly elections will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2023, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will be held on March 11, 2023.
