The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has called on individuals and observers alleging electoral malpractice during Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State to back their claims with verifiable evidence.
The Force’s New Media Officer, Aliyu Giwa, made the appeal while responding to a viral image circulating on social media, which sparked accusations of police involvement in alleged vote-buying.
The photograph, shared by journalist Oseni Rufai, showed two policewomen positioned near an open polling booth in Ikere Local Government Area, with claims suggesting they were aiding vote-buying activities.
The post generated widespread reactions online, with many users questioning the conduct of security personnel at the polling unit.
Reacting via his 𝕏 handle, Giwa dismissed the interpretation of the image, insisting that the officers were carrying out their lawful duty of maintaining order at the polling station.
According to him, allegations of electoral misconduct should not be based solely on images without proper context or supporting proof.
He maintained that the officers seen in the viral photo were deployed to ensure security during the voting process, in line with their constitutional responsibilities.
“Allegations of vote buying are serious and should not be based solely on a photograph. The image shows police officers at a polling unit carrying out their constitutional duty of maintaining security,” Giwa said.
“Present Your Evidence”
He further urged anyone with credible evidence of misconduct by security operatives or any electoral stakeholder to submit such information for proper investigation.
“If there is evidence that any officer aided electoral malpractice, such evidence should be presented for investigation. Facts strengthen democracy, and assumptions weaken it,” he added.
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The police response comes shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the election.
Oyebanji secured re-election with 319,224 votes, defeating Olumayokun Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) across all 16 local government areas of the state.
During the election, some opposition parties had raised concerns over alleged vote-buying in certain polling units, while the police, President Bola Tinubu, and the APC maintained that the process was largely peaceful.
Security agencies insisted that officers were properly deployed across polling units and strategic locations to ensure order and protect the integrity of the electoral process.