Wike demands immediate redeployment of GOC 6 Division

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has asked the Army High Command to immediate redeploy the General Officer Commanding, GOC, 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Major General Jamil Sarham.

The governor, who spoke on Friday at  Government House in Port Harcourt when he granted audience to the Nigerian Army Committee on Electoral Violence during the 2019 polls, hinged his call on the alleged unprofessional conduct of the Army General during the conduct of the elections

He said: “Throughout my experience politically, I have never seen the Nigerian Army play the kind of role they played during the last general elections. The Nigerian Army purely made political interferences all through.

“We will show you the visuals of the roles played by the Nigerian Army. If you go to the 6 Division, unless they have moved them out, you will see ballot boxes and electoral materials.

“The 6 Division served as the take-off  base  for  electoral interference. We formally request that appropriate sanctions be meted out to the GOC of the 6 Division. It has never happened that the Army Division becomes the operational base of a political party.

“This GOC became actively involved in politics. He has his own government in Rivers State. He has no respect for civil authorities. We seek the immediate redeployment of the GOC, Major General Jamil Sarham.

“He cannot fight crime. Leaving the GOC here will be creating more crises. He is here to fight crime and not to play politics. If soldiers fight crime, the way they intervened in the elections, there will be no kidnapper anywhere.”

Read also: Court strikes out Nwosu’s suit to stop INEC from issuing certificate of return to Ihedioha

According to Wike, elections took place  in the state  apart from  Abua/Odual Local Government Area, adding that problems  surfaced  during the collation when some soldiers  invaded collation centres to cart away Form EC 8C for the governorship election and Form EC 8b1 for the House of Assembly poll.

“It was during the collation that soldiers interfered. They will invade a collation centre, arrest the electoral officer, returning officer and mercilessly beat PDP agents”, he said.

The governor also alleged  that soldiers  arrested and detained over 200 PDP leaders, agents and supporters at Bori Camp before, during and after the March 9 elections.

Chairman of the committee, Maj Gen Ayibakuro Gagariga, told the governor that the committee was established  by the Chief of Army Staff to investigate allegations of misconduct by soldiers during the elections.

 

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now