The Founding Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Earl Osaro Onaiwu has criticized the reported deployment of very senior police officers to Zamfara State to oversee an inconclusive election, describing the move as a misplacement of Nigeria’s security priorities.

According to him, while safeguarding democracy and protecting elections are important duties, the preservation of lives and property remains the paramount responsibility of the state.

> “The north is bleeding. We need more combined and concentrated efforts of the police and the military to wipe out the menace,” he said, referring to the escalating insurgency and banditry in parts of the North-East and North-West.

According to him, the purported deployment of an AIG , a commissioner of police and MOPOL from various formations  in the north for tomorrows election is an overkill. He said the move is suspect and cautions the politics not to favour any side but be impartial role  and allow the will of the electorates to prevail.

Earl Onaiwu expressed concern that such a concentration 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.

Security Concerns Across the North
Nigeria has continued to battle 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.

The PDP chieftain therefore urged the federal government and security chiefs to rethink their strategy. He warned that prioritizing election deployments over critical security operations risks worsening insecurity, adding that Nigerians must never feel abandoned in the face of daily violence.
Earl Osaro Onaiwu said,

> “Democracy thrives when citizens are alive and safe. Protecting elections is vital, but protecting Nigerians themselves is far more urgent,” he insisted.

Call for Reprioritization:

He 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, stressing that national security must never be sacrificed on the altar of politics.

His 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.