The Rivers State Police Command has announced that it will boycott Saturday’s local government election in the state.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, told journalists in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Friday, October 4, 2024.
Iringe-Koko said the decision followed an order from the Federal High Court.
Iringe-Koko added that the command had begun withdrawing its officers from election duties.
She said: “The court order bars the police from allowing, participating in, providing security for, or taking part in the local government council elections.
“Therefore, all area commanders, divisional police officers, and tactical commanders have been instructed to fully comply with the Federal High Court’s judgement.”
The police spokesperson further urged other security agencies to observe the court’s ruling
Iringe-Koko said anyone aggrieved by the police’s withdrawal should seek legal redress before the election.
She assured that police officers would remain alert for “potential disturbances”, even though they would not directly participate in the elections.
Fubara: No one can stop Rivers LG election
The Federal High Court had, on September 30, barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the voters register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
The court cited RSIEC’s non-compliance with its 2018 law regarding the voters register as the reason for the court’s decision to halt the local government election.
It also prohibited the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) from engaging in the elections.
Despite the court’s judgement, RSIEC remains determined to proceed with the local government election in Rivers State.
RSIEC Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli (Rtd.), referenced a ruling by the Rivers State High Court mandating the commission to conduct the election.
Addressing the legal dispute, the Lawyers in Defence of Democracy and Human Rights argued that the Federal High Court did not have the jurisdiction to prevent RSIEC from conducting the LG polls.
Fubara: LG election’ll produce new political structure in Rivers
The group’s convener, Okere Nnamdi, said the court was not a court of general jurisdiction, but rather a court of special jurisdiction.
The lawyer said: “The court’s jurisdiction is outlined in Section 2(51), Subsection 1(Q) (R) of the 1999 Constitution.
“RSIEC is not a Federal Government agency, but an agency of the Rivers State Government.
“Therefore, the Federal High Court cannot issue an injunctive order to stop RSIEC from conducting local government elections.”
Nnamdi added that RSIEC has a constitutional role to conduct local government elections, as empowered by Paragraph 4, Part 2 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
“It is only the Rivers State High Court that can restrain RSIEC from conducting local government elections,” he stated.
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