Barely 24 hours to the local government elections in Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has thwarted an attempt by the police to steal election materials.
This is coming after he led a delegation to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) office in Port-Harcourt, the State capital in the wee hours of Friday in response to an alleged attempt to break into the facility.
The invasion was reportedly masterminded by police officers from neighboring Abia State, with the aim to steal materials designated for the local government polls slated for Saturday.
Governor Fubara, with other key government officials, including his Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, and Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Victor Oko Jumbo, intervened to foil the operation by the police.
A statement by his spokesman, Nelson Chukwudi, claimed the police attempted to breach the gates and secure areas of the Commission.
The governor accused the Inspector-General of Police of orchestrating this deployment.
“However, 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,” Nelson stated.
While addressing newsmen outside the RSIEC office after the encounter with the police, Fubara condemned their actions, alleging that the Inspector-General of Police was overstepping by aligning with certain politicians in Abuja.
He kicked against the decision to withdraw local police protecting the facility and replace them with officers from a neighboring state, calling it unacceptable.
Fubara reminded the IGP that local government elections are internal matters of the states and urged him to allow each state to manage its own affairs without interference.