By Chidi Roberts
The Police Command in Rivers State has announced that it will boycott the forthcoming local government council elections scheduled for Saturday.
SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the command’s spokesperson, told journalists in Port Harcourt on Friday that the decision followed an order from the Federal High Court.
Iringe-Koko confirmed that the command had begun withdrawing its officers from election duties.
“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,” she stated.
She further urged other security agencies to observe the court ruling
Iringe-Koko advised that anyone aggrieved by the police’s withdrawal should seek legal redress before the elections.
She assured that police officers would remain alert for ‘potential disturbances,’ even though they would not directly participate in the elections.
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 reason for the court’s decision to halt the elections.
It further prohibited the police and the State Security Service (DSS) from engaging in the elections.
Despite the court ruling, RSIEC remains determined to proceed with the elections.
RSIEC Chairman, Justice Adolphus Enebeli Rtd. referenced a ruling by the State High Court mandating the commission to continue the elections.
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.
Okere Nnamdi, the group’s convener, clarified that the court was not a court of general jurisdiction, but rather a court of special jurisdiction.
He explained, “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 also pointed out that RSIEC had a constitutional role to conduct local government elections, as empowered by Paragraph 4, Part 2 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
He emphasised that the States Independent Electoral Commission (SIECs) are autonomous bodies established by Section 197 of the 1999 Constitution, under the authority of the state governments.
“It is only the Rivers State High Court that can restrain RSIEC from conducting local government elections,” he insisted.
