A civil society organisation (CSO) the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has strongly criticised the alleged attempts by the Nigerian Police to frustrate Saturday’s local government election in Rivers State.
RULAAC expressed deep concerns over the reported attempt by a police team from the Rivers State Police Command to break into the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission’s strong room to remove electoral materials meant for the Saturday elections in the State.
It was earlier reported that Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, faulted the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over the controversy surrounding the conduct of the state’s local government elections.
While speaking to journalists after storming the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission office in the state on Friday morning, Fubara stated that there appeared to be a more than professional relationship between the IGP and “someone who says he is more powerful than the state” in apparent reference to his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State early on Friday led top government officials and political leaders in the state to foil what was described as an attempt to steal election materials at the RSIEC headquarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
It has also been reported that Nigerians condemned the police boss for allegedly attempting to disrupt the upcoming local council election.
The controversy surrounds Egbetokun’s purported order to policemen from Imo State to break into the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) office and seize election materials.
Critics took to social media platforms, formerly Twitter, now X, to express their discontent and outrage over the alleged actions.
Reacting to the controversy, the Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, in a statement issued on Friday said, “The incident, especially in light of recent allegations of police partisanship during the Edo State governorship election, and later in the local government electoral sham in Imo State underscores a troubling trend of political interference and brazen irregularities in local elections by federal authorities instrumentalising the police.”
Nwanguma further noted, “Local government elections are under the jurisdiction of state governments, and any attempt by federal politicians to leverage police power for electoral manipulation is a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic process. Such actions undermine the integrity of elections and erode public trust in democratic institutions.
“It is imperative for President Tinubu to ensure that the Nigeria Police Force operates independently and refrains from interfering in state electoral matters, thereby allowing states to manage their own affairs without undue federal influence. This is essential for the preservation and strengthening of Nigeria’s democracy.”
