Rivers rerun: Wike leads protest to police headquarters; security presence made election possible, says Abe

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, on Thursday, led thousands of supporters to stage a protest over alleged police high handedness in the just-concluded legislative re-run election.
The protesters also accused the police of killing PDP members and demanded the transfer of two policemen alleged to be masterminds of the police attacks.
The protest, which was peaceful, started from Government House to Azikiwe Street and Bank Road before terminating at the Police Command Headquarters on Moscow Road in the city centre.
Addressing the police, Wike told the state Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Cyril Okoro, that people of the state were fed up with alleged killings by some policemen and other security operatives.
“On behalf of the Rivers Government and good people of the state, we have to let the police know that enough is enough.
“We demand that Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge of Operations, Mr Steven Hasso and the Commander of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Akin Fakorede, be posted out of the state.
“We have come here peacefully to communicate this demand and urge that this request is communicated to Police headquarters in Abuja because I (Wike) have written repeatedly (to IGP).
“Please, I don’t want people to die anymore and definitely do not want corrupt senior police officers posted to Rivers State,” he said.
Wike said the police had refused to sanction the two policemen in spite alleged video footage which purported the duo and other security operatives attempting to snatch results of the Rivers East Senatorial District.
The governor described as unfortunate and worrisome a situation where policemen who are supposed to be non-partisan paraded themselves as politicians in uniform.
According to him, the bias security operatives must be posted out of the state.
“If they don’t leave the state, then we will do all we can to ensure that they leave this state because they have killed innocent people,” the governor claimed.
In his response, Mr Cyril Okoro, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Rivers assured Wike that the command will deliver the message to the Inspector General Police for possible action.
Some senior government  officials who participated in the protest included Rivers Deputy Gov. Ipalibo Banigo; House Speaker, Dabo Adams, ex-Minister of Transport, Dr Abiye Sekibo and former Deputy Gov. Tele Ikuru.
Others include PDP state Chairman, Felix Obuah, former United Bank of Africa Chairman, Chief Ferdinand Alabrabra, commissioners and state legislators.
Meanwhile, Senator Magnus Abe, who was sworn in on Thursday as the lawmaker representing Rivers South East Senatorial District, has said that the heavy deployment of security agencies accounted for the success of the re-run election.
The second term senator said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.
He said were it not for the resolve of the security agencies, it would have been impossible for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the election.
“It has been a long road, a difficult journey and it was made more difficult by the attitude, approach and actions  of certain persons who would not accept that democracy is a game and that  it has rules.
“If you listen to radio and watch television over the past few days, you will get the impression  that security agencies and by force of arms overthrew the democratic process,’’ he said.
Abe expressed concern that  there were indications that some Rivers State House of Assembly members elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election  would not be sworn in.
“The government of Rivers State under the leadership of Governor Nyesom Wike, is already threatening that APC members  will not be sworn in or not be allowed to participate in the activities  of the Assembly.
“I think actions like this are more dangerous for democracy. However, Nigeria is more important than anyone of us.
“ I think that Rivers State has gone through enough traumas and it is time for us however difficult it may be  to forgive one another and allow the interest of the state to take pre-eminence.
“Democracy is not just in what we say, it is more in what we do,’’ he said.
The lawmaker pledged to carry out his duties  in the National Assembly  to entrench the principles of democracy.