The Police Service Commission (PSC) has withdrawn the appointment of Naja'atu Muhammad as commissioner in charge of supervising police activities during the general elections.
The PSC spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, made this announcement in a statement issued on Monday.
Muhammad had on Sunday been listed as one of the commissioners in charge of overseeing police activities in the north-western part of the country during the general elections.
However, the presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) rejected her appointment.
The APC campaign council objected to the appointment, stating that the role requires an unbiased individual. They further alleged that Muhammad had made some derogatory comments against Bola Tinubu, the party's standard bearer.
In January, Muhammad, a former senatorial candidate, resigned from the APC and quit partisan politics. However, the party claimed that she was sacked and accused her of being a mole.
Subsequently, she endorsed Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
According to the statement on Monday, the PSC stated that Muhammad has been replaced by Bawa Lawal, an assistant Inspector-General of Police, from the same geopolitical zone as Muhammad.
The commission has thus mandated Lawal to take over the coordination of monitoring police conduct in the zone.
“The commission will always be sensitive to the wishes of Nigerians and will continue to contribute its quota to the sustenance of the nation’s democracy.
“It wishes to restate its commitment to a free and fair 2023 elections where the police as the lead agency in internal security which includes election policing will discharge its duties according to the dictates of the law,” the statement in part reads.
