The Nigeria Police Force has called on individuals alleging electoral malpractice during Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State to provide credible evidence to support their claims, insisting that photographs alone are insufficient to establish wrongdoing.
The clarification followed widespread reactions to a viral image shared on social media showing two policewomen standing near an open polling booth in Ikere Local Government Area during the election.
The photograph, posted by media personality Oseni Rufai, was accompanied by a claim suggesting that the officers were “helping with vote buying”, triggering criticism and accusations against the police.
Responding on Sunday, the Force’s New Media Officer, Aliyu Giwa, defended the conduct of the officers, stating that their presence at the polling unit was part of their constitutional responsibility to maintain security and public order during the electoral process.
In a post on his X account, Giwa stressed that allegations of vote buying are serious and should be backed by verifiable facts rather than assumptions based on a single image.
“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,” he said.
He added that the police would not hesitate to investigate any officer found to have participated in electoral malpractice, provided there was tangible evidence to support such claims.
“If there is evidence that any officer aided electoral malpractice, such evidence should be presented for investigation. Facts strengthen democracy and assumptions weaken it,” Giwa stated.
The controversy emerged amid reports by opposition parties alleging vote-buying activities in some parts of Ekiti State during the governorship poll.
Despite the allegations, the Nigeria Police Force maintained that security personnel deployed across polling units and other strategic locations acted professionally and contributed to a peaceful electoral environment.
The election was eventually won by incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who secured a second term in office after polling 319,224 votes.
According to the final results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oyebanji defeated his closest challengers, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), across the state’s 16 local government areas.
President Bola Tinubu and the APC have also described the election as peaceful and orderly, aligning with the police position that the poll was conducted under a secure atmosphere.
As debates continue over reports of vote inducement during the election, the police have reiterated that any allegations of misconduct by security personnel must be supported by evidence to enable proper investigation and accountability.
