The Founding Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Earl Osaro Onaiwu, has condemned the deployment of senior police officers to Zamfara State for the bye-election, describing it as a misplacement of Nigeria’s security priorities.
Onaiwu expressed concern that the deployment of an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), a Commissioner of Police, and Mobile Police (MOPOL) from various formations in the north to oversee the election in Zamfara State is an overkill, considering the security challenges facing the country.
He emphasized that the north is “bleeding” from escalating insurgency and banditry in parts of the North-East and North-West, and that more combined and concentrated efforts of the police and military are needed to wipe out the menace.
Onaiwu cautioned that the deployment of senior officers and specialized units for election matters in Zamfara State undermines the urgent needs of communities still under siege from insurgents and bandits in the North-East and parts of the North-West.
He urged the police to be impartial and allow the will of the electorates to prevail.
Nigeria is currently battling multiple security threats, including insurgency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states; banditry in Zamfara, Katsina, and Kaduna; and communal clashes across parts of Plateau and Benue. According to security analysts, overstretching the police and military for political purposes could weaken the broader fight against terrorism and criminal gangs.
Onaiwu called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and the Inspector General of Police to urgently redirect top police officers and military resources to communities facing persistent attacks.
He stressed that national security must never be sacrificed on the altar of politics and that protecting Nigerians themselves is far more urgent than protecting elections.
“Democracy thrives when citizens are alive and safe. Protecting elections is vital, but protecting Nigerians themselves is far more urgent,” Onaiwu insisted.
The PDP chieftain’s intervention comes amid heightened debate on how best to balance Nigeria’s electoral process with its pressing security challenges. Many observers argue that until peace and stability are restored across troubled regions, democracy itself will remain fragile.