Governor Fubara Intervenes at RSIEC Amid Police Controversy, Expresses Regret Over PDP’s Absence in Upcoming Local Government Elections
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Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara revealed that he intervened at the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) in the early hours of Friday, arriving at 1 AM to prevent the Rivers State Police Command from assuming control of the premises.
A video captured the governor arriving at the RSIEC with his team, where they encountered individuals claiming that police officers were trying to breach the gates and strong room of the commission. These allegations suggested that the officers aimed to seize sensitive electoral materials intended for the upcoming local government elections in the state on Saturday.
Fubara was accompanied by his Chief of Staff, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and various State and National Assembly members, as well as other stakeholders, all of whom were observed guarding the RSIEC office. Additionally, an unspecified number of police officers were seen inside two trucks and two Hilux vehicles nearby.
The video showed Governor Fubara alongside several lawmakers from both the National Assembly and State House of Assembly, as well as prominent political stakeholders and other leaders, forcefully entering the facility. In the background, voices could be heard shouting, “Move this thing! Illegal police! Illegal police! Thief! Thief!”
Some individuals at the scene were seen physically striking the vehicles parked inside the RSIEC office while demanding that they vacate the premises.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Rivers State Police Command, through Spokesperson SP Grace Iringe-Koko, announced that they had received a restraining order preventing them from providing security during the upcoming local government chairman elections scheduled for October 5, 2024.
In the statement, the police confirmed that they had received a restraining order that prohibits them from providing security for the local government elections.
This development comes after Governor Fubara expressed regret that his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), would not participate in the upcoming local government elections on October 5. He made this statement during a meeting with party stakeholders at the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
He emphasized that the election must take place on Saturday to adhere to the three-month grace period granted by the Federal Government for implementing the Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy.
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