PORT HARCOURT – Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has foiled an attempt by the Nigerian Police, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), to take over the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) on Friday early morning.
The 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 around 1 a.m.
The deployment was said to have been ordered by the Inspector-General of Police.
However, the operation which was led by the 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.
Addressing newsmen in front of RSIEC Office on Aba Road in Port Harcourt, after an encounter with the policemen, the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara condemned the conduct of the policemen, 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 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 policemen in two trucks and two Hilux vehicles do not return and that elections will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday.
