Omole Dismisses Election Rigging Claims
The Director‑General of the Institute for Police and Security Policy Research (IPSPR), Charles Omole, has rejected allegations that President Bola Tinubu is advocating for state police to influence the 2027 general election. Speaking on Channels Television, he described the idea as practically impossible.
Constitutional and Operational Hurdles
Omole stressed that no state could establish a fully functional state police service before the next election because of the extensive constitutional, legal, and operational processes required.
“I do not see any state having state police before the next election, so those who are driving the fact that maybe the President is doing it so that he can use it for the next election, that can’t happen because the technicalities are just not there,” he said on Monday.
Why Creating 36 Police Forces Makes No Sense for Rigging
He argued that if the president’s goal were to rig an election, it would be far simpler to manipulate the existing national police force rather than create 36 separate state services.
“If you are the President and, in quote, ‘you want to rig an election’, is it not easier for you to use one police force that you control? Why will you want to create 36 police services? It’s a more convoluted way to do it,” Omole added.
Tinubu’s Likely Objective: Finalising the Legal Framework
Omole suggested that Tinubu’s real aim may be to complete the legal groundwork for state policing before his current term ends, allowing for swift implementation if he wins a second term.
“I think what the President probably wants to do is finalise every legal framework so that when the next term starts, if he wins the election, it’s just straight to implementation. We are no longer doing any paperwork,” he explained.
Call for a Federal Reform Technical Team
Omole urged the creation of a federal reform technical team to redesign policing nationwide. He warned that merely copying the Nigeria Police at the state level, without addressing jurisdictional and weapons‑management complexities, could exacerbate security challenges.
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