Police absent in PDP strongholds, says Tinubu

A former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, says there is little or no police presence in

areas which the Peoples Democratic Party is considered to be strong in Lagos.

Tinubu, who is a National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, said this while addressing journalists at Sunday Adigun Street, Alausa, where he voted on Saturday.

The former governor alleged that the PDP-led Federal Government had relegated the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, to the level of an area commander just because the party had ulterior motives.

He said rather, the controversial Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, was the one acting as the Commissioner of Police for the elections.

He said, “The alarming issue now is the inconsistencies and lack of police presence in areas of their own boasting. They announced Monday last week that the AIG has been assigned to supervise the elections. Yesterday (Friday), we heard the CP has been relegated to an area commander and the AIG is now a Commissioner of Police in charge of the election.

“From that, you smell rats. It is not good enough for confidence building. If there is no written order, it should not be possible for anybody, no matter how highly placed, to make an oral posting of the police or the army.”

Tinubu condemned the spate of violence in the South-South geo-political zone, saying it was barbaric.

He said it was violence and threats of such that might have caused a low voter turnout in several parts of the country.

Tinubu added, “We have to remove violence from our politics. Election is about people and service, it is not a process of gun, war and violence. It is power by all means that is the cause of the violence and we have to remove that and allow the process to function and nurture the process of democracy, respect the rule of law and lives and property of Nigerians.

“The attempt to be governor or control states should come from the people’s sovereignty; the right of the people to choose their own leaders.”

The former governor commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for the smooth process of accreditation, saying it would boost voter confidence