Rivers State governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has foiled an attempt by the State Command of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), to take over the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) at about 1:00am on Friday 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, October 5, local government election in the State.
The deployment was said to have been ordered by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).
However, the plot of the policemen 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 the facility.
Addressing journalists 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 on illegal duty, 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 is an internal affairs of a State, and advised him to allow the federating unit conduct its affairs without interference from the centre.
