In light of Nigeria’s recent electoral history, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun’s assertion that allegations of police involvement in election fraud are ‘pure imagination’ seems ridiculous.
Development Diaries reports that while he was speaking at the third National Democracy Stakeholders Summit recently, Egbetokun said the police remained impartial actors during electoral exercises, with no role in determining or influencing vote counts.
According to media reports, the IGP refuted claims that security agencies manipulate election outcomes in Nigeria, insisting such allegations are baseless and unfair.
While the IGP insists the police are neutral observers during elections, Nigerians have repeatedly witnessed cases where officers either stood idle or actively enabled irregularities.
The 2023 general elections were marred by reports of voter intimidation, ballot box snatching, and selective deployment of security forces, particularly in Lagos, Rivers, and parts of the southeast.
Despite assurances, the conduct of security personnel during these polls raised more questions than answers about their actual neutrality.
Data from the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) revealed that during the 2023 general elections, security forces, including the police, were complicit in at least 66 recorded cases of voter suppression and violence.
In Lagos State alone, several polling units reported that security agents failed to intervene when political thugs disrupted voting, targeted voters based on ethnicity, or destroyed ballot papers.
Similarly, election observers, including Yiaga Africa and the European Union Election Observation Mission, noted that while security personnel were present in many polling units, they often failed to act against obvious infractions.
Such repeated inaction makes people doubt the police and makes it hard to believe any claim that they are not involved.
The IGP’s emphasis on inter-agency collaboration and ongoing training is commendable, but the police leadership must acknowledge that trust is earned, not declared.
It is not enough to tout professionalism at summits while officers on the ground are either passive or partisan.
The public perception of the police as enablers of electoral fraud is rooted in lived experience, not conspiracy. The first step to redemption is open acknowledgement of past failures, followed by meaningful reforms that include real-time accountability measures and consequences for misconduct.
Election duty should no longer be a free pass for officers to act with impunity or allegiance to powerful political actors.
Furthermore, the IGP must demonstrate a clear commitment to institutional integrity by publicly addressing lapses from the 2023 elections and taking disciplinary action where appropriate.
Future elections must not be business as usual. Officers must be equipped not just with batons and vests, but with the moral clarity to defend democratic principles and protect every citizen’s right to vote.
In light of these concerns, Development Diaries calls on IGP Egbetokun to move beyond speeches and into action. The Nigeria Police Force must issue clear guidelines for election-day conduct, establish whistleblower mechanisms for citizens and observers to report misconduct, and publicly commit to prosecuting officers who aid or ignore electoral fraud.
Restoring faith in the police starts with accountability, and without it, even the best policies will be seen as camouflage for the same old habits.
Photo source: Nigeria Police Force
