Army Condemns Police INEC Over Rivers State Governorship Election

The Nigerian Army has expressed its disappointment with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Rivers State Police Command over the controversial Rivers State governorship election conducted on March 9, 2019.

INEC indefinitely suspended all electoral processes in the oil-rich state due to widespread disruption of the governorship election last week.

Many allegations have been traded over the disruption especially with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accusing the Army of doing the bidding of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to dethrone incumbent governor, Nyesom Wike, who's seeking re-election.

After a fact-finding committee set up by INEC submitted its report, INEC's National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, expressed regret over the manner in which some soldiers invaded collation centres and intimidated election officials.

While also speaking during an interview on Channels TV on Monday, March 18, he further said that the fact-finding committee established that the military intervened in some places.

"We saw them in INEC office and they agreed that they were at some collation centres on election day. We did not go out to establish the fact about if soldiers rigged elections or who did not rig," he said.

However, in a statement signed by the Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, on Monday, the Army said it felt betrayed by Okoye's statement.

The Army said despite meeting with the commission's committee to hold 'honest discussions', its inputs were never made public. It said this showed a lack of trust despite the Army's sacrifices to ensure that INEC was able to peacefully fulfill its electoral duties.

Speaking on the Rivers elections, the Army said INEC failed to mention the attack on its personnel by Governor Wike's security aides and armed thugs who stormed the collation centre on Obio/Akpor Local Government Headquarters on March 9.

Colonel Iliyasu said Captain Adams Salami was shot by Wike's security aides while Corporal Adeosun Adebayo was matcheted by the governor's alleged thugs, both left with life threatening injuries.

The Army further stated that despite admitting the complicity of some of its men in the violence against military personnel, the Rivers State Police Command has failed to take disciplinary action against those involved.

The statement concluded by calling on the Police leadership to commence a full scale investigation into the officers who took part in the attack, failure of which would result in a review of all existing joint activities with the Rivers State Police Command.

The Army also took exception to the "unfair INEC report" and strongly rejected it.

Headquarters 6 Division Nigerian Army (NA) have observed with dismay and sense of betrayal in the statement made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee Festus Okoye Esq on 15 March 2019. The statement according to INEC was the findings of its Fact-Finding Committee that assessed the situation in Rivers State.

It is however pertinent to note that, representatives of the 6 Division met with the Fact-Finding Committee on Tuesday 12 March 2019 at the INEC Headquarters in Port Harcourt and had honest discussions and made a written submission to aid the Committee in its task. Regrettably, none of the Division’s input form any of the findings of INEC as made public. This clearly indicates lack of trust by an institution that the NA sacrifices so much to assist in the course of performing their role.

Genesis of the suspension of Governorship/State House of Assembly elections process in Rivers State

What INEC failed to mention or even consider is the fact that at about 10:30 pm on Saturday 9th March 2019, troops of 6 Division NA detailed at the outer perimeter of Obio/Akpor Local Government Headquarters Collation Center were brazenly attacked by Governor Wike’s security aides and armed thugs who stormed the collation center with the Governor in a convoy of more than 50 vehicles while collation of results was going on. In the ensuing melee, Captain Adams Salami was shot at close range by the security aides of Governor Wike while Corporal Adeosun Adebayo was matcheted by Governor Wike’s thugs. Both victims are currently receiving treatment at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) Intensive Care Unit and Military Hospital Port Harcourt respectively with life threatening injuries. Thereafter, election materials were carted away and electoral officials abducted by the Governor’s thugs to an unknown destination. This was made known to the INEC Fact-Finding Committee but INEC does not see it worth condemning or mention in its report.

Consequently, after due consultations and considerations between 6 Division and the Rivers State Police Command on Sunday the 10th of March 2019, the Rivers State Police Command, on their own, - took the initiative to invite the media to the hospitals where the 2 victims are receiving treatment and thereafter to host a press conference on the matter with the view to dissociate itself from the unprofessional conduct exhibited by their men attached to Wike and tell the public what disciplinary action the command will take or is already taking. However, while the visit to the victims was accomplished and the 2 victims interviewed by the media, the press conference was aborted by the Police after journalists have been assembled.

Coincidentally, a rescheduled press conference on the matter was also aborted on Thursday the 14th of March 2019. Most disheartening is that while the Rivers State Police Command accepts the involvement of their personnel in the attack at Obio/Akpor LG Headquarters, till date those personnel have not at least been reprimanded.

To this end, - in the circumstance, - the 6 Division NA as a stakeholder in the 2019 General Elections takes exception to the lopsided and therefore unfair INEC report and is hereby strongly and totally rejected by the NA.

The Division is equally disappointed with the attitude exhibited by the Nigerian Police in this regard and hereby request the police leadership to commence full scale investigation of those security aides to Governor Wike that attacked troops at the Obio/Akpor LG Headquarters Collation Center and shot at Capt AA Salami with a view to appropriately sanction those found responsible/culpable. Until that is done, Headquarters 6 Division NA will have to review all existing joint activities with the Rivers State Police Command.