Police have declared war against Rivers –Wike

Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike has accused the police of being behind the attacks that disrupted and led to the suspension of the last Saturday House of Assembly bye-election for Port Harcourt State Constituency 3.

He said that the police interferance with the electoral process in Rivers State time and again was a declaration of war on the people.

The governor stated this during a state broadcast on Sunday, insisting that the exercise failed due to disruption by the police and armed thugs, who according to him, were working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

He said, “The consistent sabotage of the electoral process by the police amounts to a declaration of war against the people of Rivers State and their solemn rights to freely and fairly choose their leaders and representatives.”

Wike expressed surprise that regardless of promise by the Rivers State Commissioner of Police during the last State Security Council meeting that the police would remain neutral and act professionally, that police and thugs still allegedly went ahead on Saturday, August 18, 2018 to disrupt the election.

“Instead of providing security for voters and INEC officials, the police brazenly colluded with political thugs of the APC to subvert the democratic process and denied the people of Port Harcourt Constituency 3 their rights to free, fair and credible elections.

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“It is important to note that Ojukaye Amachree, who led the thugs, is the same person facing multiple murder trial and instead of arresting him as ordered by the trial court, the police have continued to aid and shield him from arrest and prosecution,” he said.

While he called on the people of the state not to succumb to the antics of the police, lest they become slaves in their fatherland, the governor recalled that in the June 16, 2018 local government election, which the APC failed to participate, that the whole process was peaceful without rancor, adding that it was not the first time the police would be indicted during an election in the state.

 

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