Witch-Hunt of PDP, Governor Wike
Police Arrest, Detain 21
INEC Ad-hoc Staff, Transferred To Abuja
24 hours after the 15 man
panel set up by the Inspector General of Police to investigate the alleged
violence during the December 10, 2016, re-run election in Rivers State visited
the State Governor, Chief Barr. Nyesom Wike, in Government House, Port Harcourt,
information available to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State,
confirmed that 21 ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, who took part in the legislative re-run election in the State
and served in areas where candidates of the PDP won, were last night arrested
and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, in Port Harcourt.
Sources disclosed that those
arrested were transferred to Abuja in the afternoon of today, and they are
being forced to confess receiving money from the Rivers State Governor, Chief
Nyesom Wike, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidates which the
Police and the All Progressives Congress, APC, alleged was responsible for the
victory of the PDP in the re-run election in the State.
According to the source at
the State CID, more arrests would be made and those arrested will be
transferred to Abuja and paraded during a press conference that would be
organized by the Police High Command, in conjunction with the top leadership of
the All Progressives Congress, APC.
This latest development
undoubtedly, is a confirmation of the fact that the Police committee led by its
chairman, Mr. Damain Okoro, that arrived the State yesterday, Wednesday, January
11, 2017, is on a mission of witch-hunt against the State Governor, Chief
Nyesom Wike, the PDP leadership and candidates of the party, who emerged
victorious in the December 10, re-run election in Rivers State.
Although, the Police
authorities have actually made no pretense about their biased role in issues
surrounding the exercise in the State, with the premature sack of six of their
men attached to the Governor, and their refusal to question the conduct of Mr.
Akin Fakorede during the election, but of much concern is what these activities
portend for our democracy and the image of the Police and other security forces
who swore oath of allegiance of neutrality and to defend, protect and respect
the provisions of the constitution of Nigeria, and rights of all citizens, and
who are maintained by tax payers’ money, not only those of the APC, but all
Nigerians.
It is unfortunate that the
Police under the current Inspector General of Police, IGP, have so abused their
constitutional responsibilities and have now turned into a security arm of a political
party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The PDP would have expected
the Police to be more professional, objective, apolitical, and uphold the
tenets of the constitution and regulations as contained in the Electoral Act,
relating to the role of security agencies in an election.
Regrettably, the Police in
the case of Rivers State have become a tool of witch-hunt by the federal
government and certain Rivers politicians of the APC.
We call on well-meaning
Nigerians to rise against this ugly trend and abuse of responsibility by the
Police high command and the All Progressives Congress leadership in trying to
silence the opposition by wrongly indicting innocent citizens, the Rivers State
government and leaders of the PDP in the State.
Signed:
Jerry Needam
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity
To The State PDP Chairman, Bro. Felix Obuah
Thursday, January 12, 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment