There was drama at the Aba Road office of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) in Port Harcourt at about at 1 am on Friday, 4th October, 2024, when some police officers allegedly attempted to break into the RSIEC office.
Assisted by a team of government officials, lawmakers from the National Assembly (NASS) and State House of Assembly, top political stakeholders, and other leaders, the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara said he foiled the attempt by the police to take over the RSIEC office.
Governor Fubara alleged the incident was led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) with the policemen said to have attempted to scale through the gates and strong room of RSIEC, reportedly to cart away sensitive electoral materials meant for the conduct of Saturday’s local government election in the State.
“The deployment was said to have been ordered by the Inspector-General of Police. 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,” a statement by Nelson Chukwudi, Chief Press Secretary to the Rivers State Governor reads.
Addressing newsmen in front of RSIEC Office on Aba Road in Port Harcourt, after an encounter with the rogue policemen, 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 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,” the statement added.
