Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday reportedly foiled an attempt by Nigerian Police to take control of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) on Friday, October 4, 2024.
Fubara spokesman Nelson Chukwudi in a statement disclosed that at 1:00 am, a team of policemen led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) attempted to breach the commission’s gates and strong room to seize sensitive electoral materials intended for the local government elections scheduled for October 5.
Chukwudi alleged that the deployment was said to have been ordered by the Inspector-General of Police.
This development comes amid tensions surrounding the local government elections, with concerns over potential disruptions.
“The rogue policemen were said to have attempted to scale through the gates and strong room of the Commission to cart away sensitive Electoral materials meant for the conduct of Saturday’s local government election in the State,” Chukwudi said.
“However, the evil plots of the rogue policemen and DC Ops were botched when vigilant security officials alerted principal officers of the Commission and relevant government authorities, who immediately informed the Governor of the development.
“The Governor immediately led a team of government officials, lawmakers from the National Assembly and State House of Assembly, top political stakeholders, and other leaders to storm the facility.”
Meanwhile, addressing newsmen in front of the RSIEC Office on Aba Road in Port Harcourt, after an encounter with the policemen, the State Governor, Fubara, condemned the conduct of the policemen on illegal duty, saying that the IGP was taking his friendship with some Abuja-based politicians too far.
He restated the position that the attempt to surreptitiously withdraw policemen already deployed to protect the facility and replace them with a detachment from a neighbouring State was unacceptable.
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.
At present, the Chief of Staff, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and State and National Assembly members, alongside other stakeholders, are manning the RSIEC office to ensure that the rogue policemen in two trucks and two Hilux vehicles do not return and that elections will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday.