NDC Demands Immediate Resignation of Lagos Police Commissioner Over Partisan Conduct
(By The Political Razzmatazz Editorial Team | Political News)
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has officially called for the immediate suspension and outright resignation of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai.
This heavy demand comes after a viral video showed the Police Commissioner attending the recent inauguration of the “City Boy Movement” in Ikeja, Lagos.
The City Boy Movement is a well-known, youth-led sociopolitical group officially aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The group is explicitly focused on grassroots mobilization and securing support for the President’s 2027 re-election bid.
The Heart of the Controversy
The opposition party is completely outraged by the police chief’s attendance at what they describe as a purely partisan, pro-Tinubu political gathering.
In a strongly worded press statement, the NDC argued that seeing a serving Commissioner of Police at a political campaign event raises massive red flags regarding his neutrality heading into the upcoming general elections.
“We understand that the rudderless APC-led administrations have no iota of respect for our institutions, but seeing a Commissioner of Police at a partisan event can only point to one thing: he will be biased in the discharge of his duties during the elections.” — Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)
The NDC did not stop at demanding a suspension. The party insisted that CP Tijani Fatai should resign entirely for his actions, accusing him of “denigrating the institution of the Police.”
Furthermore, the opposition challenged the Nigeria Police Force to publicly commit to strict neutrality and guarantee the protection of all voters, rather than just supporters of the ruling party.
The City Boy Movement Pushes Back
In response to the heavy backlash, the City Boy Movement has strongly defended the Police Commissioner.
Bashir Ahmad, the National Director of Media Monitoring and Rapid Response for the movement, issued a formal statement dismissing the opposition’s claims. According to Ahmad, the Commissioner’s presence was absolutely not a political endorsement.
The group argued that senior security officers routinely deploy personnel and attend public, political, or civic gatherings strictly to maintain law, order, and public peace.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the mere presence of the Commissioner of Police at a public event should not, without more, be interpreted as political endorsement, partisan participation or institutional alignment with the organisers of that event.” — Bashir Ahmad
What the Law Says
While the Police Act of 2020 does not have a single, direct clause banning officers from attending political events, the Constitution firmly requires the police to remain a neutral, unified security institution.
Legal experts have pointed to past Supreme Court rulings—specifically the Attorney-General of the Federation v. Atiku Abubakar (2007) case—where the court ruled that security institutions must “tend the rope” and not descend into the arena of partisan politics. The court emphasized that even the mere appearance of taking sides damages public trust.
As of now, neither the Lagos State Police Command nor the national headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force has issued an official statement regarding the NDC’s demands for suspension.
What do you think about the Commissioner’s attendance? Was it just routine security work, or a clear sign of political bias? Let us know in the comments below!