It has been revealed how the Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his loyalists chased away police operatives deployed to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RISIEC office in Port Harcourt.
Recall that the Governor has announced that there is no going back on the proposed Local Government election on Saturday, October 5, 2024, in the State.
However, the election have generated controversy as conflicting court judgments trail the conduct of the election on Saturday.
Therefore, in its bid to maintain law and order in the rich-oil State in the South-south region, a police detachment were seen at the RISIEC facility around 1am on Friday. The presence of the police at the facility could not placed as it stated they would not participate in the exercise on Saturday.
But in a viral video sight online, the armed policemen were seen being booed and called names. They, however, maneuvered their vehicles out of the RISIEC office premises.
According to a source, the operatives were brought into the RISIEC office premises on trucks and patrol vans. But they were compelled to leave the area following agitation by the crowd at the office.
It was also gathered that the State Governor, Simialayi Fubara, alongside some State Government officials stormed the facilities minutes after the police had gone.
In a press statement issued by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), it stated that the Governor foiled an attempt by the Police, led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), to take over RSIEC at 1am on Friday, 4th October, 2024.
The statement described the operatives as rogue policemen who attempted to scale the gates and strong room of the Commission. It also alleged that the police wanted to cart away sensitive electoral materials meant for the conduct of Saturday’s Local Government election in the State.
The statement also accused the Inspector-General of Police of ordering the deployment. It added that they were botched when vigilant security officials alerted principal officers of the Commission and relevant Government authorities. Those immediately informed the Governor of the development and he rushed to the facility accompaanied by his loyalists.
In a video recording seen online, the Governor was seen condemning the conduct of the policemen on illegal duty. The Governor warned that the IGP was taking his friendship with some Abuja-based politicians too far.
Fubara also condemned the attempt to surreptitiously withdraw policemen already deployed to protect the facility. He frowned at the replacement of police with a detachment from a neighbouring State.
He reminded the IGP that Local Government election was the internal affairs of States. And advised him to allow the federation unit to conduct its affairs without interference.
The statement further added that the State Governor has mounted a surveillance on the facility ahead of Saturday election.
Those on ground at the RISIEC office among the Governor’s loyalists included the Chief of Staff. The Rivers Speaker and State and National Assembly members. Also manning the facility are other stakeholders and those loyal to the Governor.
source: The Nation
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