Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, reportedly thwarted an attempt by the Nigerian Police, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), to take control of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) at 1:00 am on Friday, October 4, 2024.
In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nelson Chukwudi, it was alleged that “rogue policemen attempted to scale the gates and break into the strong room of the Commission to cart away sensitive electoral materials meant for the Saturday local government election in the state”.
The statement claimed that the deployment was ordered by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun.
The statement noted that the plans of the policemen, including the DC Ops, were foiled when alert security officials notified principal officers of the Commission and government authorities, who promptly informed the governor.
“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 the facility,” the statement said.
Speaking to journalists outside the RSIEC Office on Aba Road in Port Harcourt, Fubara condemned the actions of the officers involved in the alleged unauthorized operation, stating that “the IGP was taking his friendship with certain Abuja-based politicians too far”.
Fubara reiterated that the attempt to secretly withdraw policemen already assigned to secure the facility and replace them with a detachment from a neighboring state was unacceptable.
He reminded the IGP that “local government elections are the internal affairs of the states,” and urged him to allow each federation unit to manage its own affairs without interference.
The statement added, “The Chief of Staff, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, members of both the State and National Assembly, and other stakeholders are guarding the RSIEC office to prevent the rogue policemen, who arrived in two trucks and two Hilux vehicles, from returning. The election will proceed as scheduled on Saturday.”
