Men dressed in police uniforms on Friday attempted to take over the office of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission before the Security Operatives prevented them.
The miscreants, around 1 am on Friday, tried to scale through the gates and strong room of INEC to cart away sensitive electoral materials meant for Saturday’s local government election in the state.
An eyewitness who spoke with Punch said the move of the hoodlums was foiled when vigilant security officials alerted the officers of the electoral umpire and other relevant government authorities.
The source said the governor led a team of government officials, lawmakers from the National Assembly and State House of Assembly, top political stakeholders, and other leaders to the scene.
The eyewitness said, “The move was botched when vigilant security officials alerted principal officers of the commission and relevant government authorities, who immediately informed Governor Siminalayi Fubara of the development.”
Confirming the incident to journalists in front of the RSIEC Office on Aba Road in Port Harcourt, the state Governor, Sim Fubara, condemned the incident and commended the security men for their alertness.
Another Government House source who spoke to the aforementioned publication regarding the incident said, “The governor said local government election was the internal affairs of states, and advised those trying to truncate the process and cause anarchy in the state to allow the federation unit conduct its affairs without interference.”
While some government officials, stakeholders, and supporters are reportedly keeping vigil at the facility, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, has yet to issue any statement on the incident.
