Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force will remain professional, apolitical and impartial before, during and after the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.

Disu gave the assurance on Friday in Abuja when a delegation of civil society organisations (CSOs), led by Auwal Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), paid him a courtesy visit to discuss election security.

The CSOs raised concerns about the security of the election, including the potential for violence, voter intimidation, political thuggery and the neutrality of security agencies.

Disu acknowledged the concerns, describing them as legitimate issues that required dialogue, transparency and practical measures.

“I want to assure Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force has taken these concerns seriously and has put in place comprehensive security arrangements for the election,” he said.

“The Nigeria Police Force remains a professional, apolitical and impartial institution.

“We have no candidate, no political party and no vested interest in the outcome of the election other than ensuring that the lawful choice of the people prevails.”

The IGP said all officers deployed for election duties had been reminded of their constitutional responsibility to uphold the law without fear or favour.

He said the police would provide a secure environment for eligible voters to exercise their constitutional rights freely and without intimidation.

According to Disu, adequate personnel and operational assets had been deployed across Osun State, while intelligence gathering and threat assessments had been intensified to identify and neutralise potential threats before they escalate.

He added that the police were working with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders to ensure effective coordination.

“Anyone found engaging in vote buying, voter intimidation, ballot box snatching, thuggery or any other electoral offence will be dealt with in accordance with the law, irrespective of political affiliation or status,” he said.

The police chief urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves responsibly before, during and after the election, stressing that elections should be contests of ideas and policies rather than violence and intimidation.

He said no political ambition was worth the loss of a single Nigerian life and called on political leaders to prevail on their supporters to reject violence and respect the rule of law.

Disu also urged Osun residents to come out peacefully and confidently to cast their votes, warning them not to be intimidated by rumours, misinformation or the actions of individuals seeking to undermine the democratic process.

“Where you observe any suspicious activity or violation of the law, promptly report to the nearest security personnel,” he said.

Earlier, Rafsanjani said the CSOs visited the IGP to strengthen collaboration with the police on election security and promote free, fair and credible elections.

He expressed concern over the political tensions in the country, stressing that the safety and security of Nigerians during elections remained critical.

“Our work as CSOs is to ensure that we support the security agencies to be able to do their work without bias or partiality or anything that will create or erode confidence of Nigerians and international community,” Rafsanjani said.

He said the CSOs had developed recommendations aimed at ensuring a free, fair and credible election without violence or rancour.

Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, said the CSOs had independently monitored developments surrounding the Osun governorship election over the past several months.

He said the groups had used incident tracking, public perception surveys and pre-election observation to assess the environment ahead of the election.

“Our purpose here today is to share principal election security risks that are emerging from our observation and building up to the Osun elections,” Itodo said.

According to him, the Osun election was significant because it could provide an indication of how Nigerians would perceive the management and security of the 2027 general election.

“It is a unique opportunity to inspire public trust, not just in the management of the election, but in election security,” he said.

Itodo said voters would expect the police and other security agencies to demonstrate neutrality, stressing that the impartiality of security institutions remained critical to building public confidence in the electoral process.