Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have said their interest in the December 4 Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) elections in the FCT followed a petition against four of the contestants.

Spokeswoman SP Josephine Adeh said yesterday the clarification was necessary following social media posts that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun had a special interest in the election.

She said they received a petition by Emeka Nze, Victorson Agbenson and Johnchuks Onuanyim on November 25 accusing Grace Ike, Edeh Ogechukwu, Yahaya Ndambabo and Jide Adeyemi of presenting forged Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) certificates to contest the election.

Adeh said the petition revealed that the certificates were purportedly not issued by the International Institute of Journalism. She said: “The petition highlighted specific discrepancies in the certificates presented by the accused individuals.

“The command stresses that its involvement is strictly limited to investigating the allegations of forgery received via the written petition. “As part of the investigation, the command invited the individuals named in the petition for questioning to verify the allegations.”

Adeh said the invitation was in line with the duty of the police to uphold the rule of law, maintain order and safeguard democratic processes.

She urged parties involved, to respect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and refrain from spreading baseless accusations that could erode public trust.