In the early hours of Friday, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara led a strong delegation to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) office in Port Harcourt, foiling an alleged attempt to break into the facility and steal sensitive materials intended for Saturday’s local government election.
According to reports, policemen allegedly deployed from neighboring Abia State stormed the RSIEC premises with the intention of carrying out the operation.
The mission was thwarted by the governor and his team, which included high-ranking officials such as the Chief of Staff to the governor, Edison Ehie, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Victor Oko Jumbo, and National Assembly members loyal to Fubara.
In a press statement issued early Friday, Nelson Chukwudi, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Fubara, detailed the incident: “Policemen attempted to scale through the gates and strong room of the Commission to cart away sensitive electoral materials meant for the conduct of Saturday’s local government election in the State.”
He further alleged that the deployment was ordered by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).
Chukwudi continued, “The evil plots of the policemen and DC Ops 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 storm the facility.”
After confronting the officers, Governor Fubara addressed the press outside the RSIEC office, condemning the conduct of the police.
He accused the IGP of overstepping boundaries due to his connections with certain Abuja-based politicians.
Fubara stated, “Withdrawing policemen already deployed to protect the facility and replacing them with a detachment from a neighboring state is unacceptable.”
He emphasized that local government elections are the internal affairs of the state and urged the IGP to respect the autonomy of the state in conducting its own electoral processes.
When contacted, Rivers State Police Command spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, stated that she was unaware of the incident.
