ELECTION VIOLENCE: INEC protests military actions, Army indicts police vanguardngr.com vanguardnews
The contentions are that a powerful Federal official used the Nigerian Army to violate electoral rules, including ballot snatching and intimidation of opponents, while another powerful official of the state government, recruited fake soldiers to overawe his opponents and security agents on polling day. It has been accusations and counter-accusations.
Going into the elections, the Army, by widespread reckoning, had actually kept safe distance from the polling units as citizens exercised their franchise in casting their ballots. Even key participants, including Governor Wike and Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, acknowledged this comportment of soldiers on election duties at the point people were casting their votes.
APC leaders, mainly of the Amaechi- led faction, had vowed, “To do to Wike what he did to us in 2015”, the catchphrase for exerting “federal might” against Rivers PDP as it pulled its weight behind hitherto anonymous African Action Congress, AAC, governorship candidate, Awara Biokpomabo.The Army first expressed umbrage when reports that emanated after the elections, both from the media and PDP, suggested that soldiers caused electoral infractions in the state and other parts of Niger Delta.
“Consequently, the NA would continue with the line of investigations being pursued to bring to successful prosecution, both the arrested impostors and their sponsors. “To this end, the NA would gladly welcome any information from the public about known or suspected impostors/armed thugs being used to perpetrate violence in the society, for the furtherance of the wicked ambitions of any criminal individual.
Colonel Iliyasu said: “Headquarters 6 Division Nigerian Army has observed with dismay and sense of betrayal in the statement made by the Independent National Electoral Commission signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee Festus Okoye Esq on 15 March 2019.
“What INEC failed to mention or even consider is the fact that at about 10.30 pm on Saturday, 9 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.
“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. “The Division is equally disappointed with the attitude exhibited by the Nigeria Police in this regard and hereby requests 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.
“Troops also intercepted and arrested suspected ballot box snatchers at Airforce junction near Ngor Okpala LGA in Imo State on the 9th of March 2019. “The suspects have been handed over to the police for further action. Similarly, five political thugs were nabbed at Lokpanta on March 9, 2019 while on their way to disrupt election in Lekwesi community in Abia State.Deadly drama in Rivers’ flash points
Aside the prominent federal might working in favour of the APC, key actors also had the backing of desperate thugs to prosecute their quest for victory. The fatal tone to the Rivers election drama actually resulted from the conflict generated in flash points where the agents of federal might, security operatives worked at cross-purpose with resistant thugs.
The military authorities had officially said they killed six persons in alleged fight back, following the killing of a Lieutenant during the Manuel Square gun duel, but Oboma Ikiriko, community health worker and Red Cross official, corroborating Prince Eminent, said, “There may never be a definite knowledge of the body count but scores were killed.
“We are not aware of any constitutional provision that will see genuine votes that have come from units, and say we should share them. We say we cannot share. We were having that argument when the SARS Commander arrived. “Collation centres were invaded by some soldiers and armed gangs resulting in the intimidation and unlawful arrest of election officials thereby disrupting the collation process,” INEC had affirmed in her statement on the Rivers election.The commission’s Head, Voter Education and Publicity in Rivers State, Edwin Enabo said in the day following March 9 governorship, “The INEC office is under siege by men in Army, Air Force and Police uniforms who have taken over.
Capt Salami disclosed, “At about 2300 hours, we got information that hoodlums were trying to invade the Obio/Akpor collation centre. So, we were asked to provide security in that area, which we did in liaison with police officers, posted there. We agreed that there would be limited access into the premises.
Okah said, “They are clowns. No such thing happened; the APC and their ally AAC failed in the election. They are doing everything possible to divert attention from their shameful failure. Why would anybody abduct them? Wike said the ploy to kidnap INEC REC was to ensure the postponement of the Governorship and State Assembly elections in the state.
“However, the soldiers were more visible and they locked down state capital. Heavily armed soldiers backed by armoured personnel carriers mounted roadblocks. Their intimidating sights and brazen demeanor was enough to scare away voters. It is obvious that vote buying has come to stay in our electoral process. In all the polling units visited, political parties’ agents were on ground to pay voters, who voted for them. The party agents stood close to the polling booths to peep into the ballot paper of the voters to ascertain which party they voted for and if they were satisfied that they voted for them, they would usher him/her to a nearby location where the voter was paid.
However, the intervention of some security operatives brought the situation under control as the aggrieved woman was pacified and assured that they would channel her complaint to INEC.Niger Delta rights activist and President, Ijaw Professionals Association, , Barrister Iniruo Wills said, “It is ominous and bodes great evil for Nigerians’ quest for democracy.
Bayelsa Elders Council also decried what it described as the militarization of communities in the state during the elections. Dickson, who in a statement in Yenagoa by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei, decried the barbarism displayed by the soldiers, warned that he could call out the Bayelsa citizenry to embark on a massive peaceful protest against the illegalities being perpetrated by the Army.
“They are kidnapping electoral officers and intimidating and even out rightly preventing our people from voting because they know their party is not popular. The nefarious activities they are carrying out in the name of politics are plain terrorism. “You can imagine soldiers of the Nigerian Army snatching electoral materials from various constituencies. I do not see the logic in a major of the Nigerian Army leading people to Constituency 4 of Southern Ijaw to terrorize innocent voters.
Henshaw, who was an observer during the elections in the state, said the army decided to set up the committee following the damning indictment slammed on it by INEC for the unprofessional role its personnel played. “They, military, need to get to the root of this issue, if not, before they know it, the confidence of the people in the military would be completely eroded.
Security analyst, Senator Iruegbu, is of the view that setting up a committee is the first step in redeeming the image of the military.
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