Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has accused the Inspector General of Police of sponsoring a plan by some police officers to cart away voting materials meant for Saturday’s local election from the office of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) in Port Harcourt.
The governor spoke after storming the RSIEC office in the wee hours of Friday after receiving information that some police officers were planning to break into RSIEC office and steal election materials.
The governor alleged that the policemen led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) at the Rivers Command were deployed from neighboring Abia State on the order of the IGP and arrived RSIEC’s office at 1am but their mission was foiled by Fubara and his men who stormed the place.
The governor was accompanied by the Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Governor Fubara, Victor Oko Jumbo, and National Assembly members loyal to the governor.
According to the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Nelson Chukwudi, in a statement issued alleged that the policemen made moves to jump the gates into the premises and attempted to break into the locked room where the materials were kept.
“However, the evil plots of the 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,” the statement stated.
Governor Fubara condemned the action of the policemen and accused the IGP of attempting to cause violence in the state, adding that the police boss has taken his friendship with some Abuja-based politicians too far.
He alleged that the withdrawal of policemen from the office of RSIEC and replacing them with a new set from a neighbouring state was part of the sinister moves by the IGP to cause chaos in the state.
Governor Fubara noted that conducting a local government election is the responsibility of the state and should not be interfered with by the police and the federal government.
