THISDAY

Police Deny Deploying Bello’s Ex-ADC to Coordinate INEC Personnel

Say ACP in charge of INEC registrati­on centre PSC to sanction erring police officers

- Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Nigeria Police Force have denied deploying a former Aide de Camp (ADC) to the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, Chief Superinten­dent of Police (CSP), Usman Musa, to coordinate and protect INEC personnel deployed in Registrati­on Centre Areas (RCAs) during the Saturday’s governorsh­ip election in the state.

In a swift reaction, the Police High Command gave the name of ACP Shem Evans as the police officer in charge of the centre.

Also, a member of the board of the Police Service Commission, (PSC), who is also part of the PSC delegation sent to monitor the election, Commission­er Rommy Mom, said the delegation would take necessary punitive measures against police officers engaging in misconduct.

This comes as the Human Rights Writers Associatio­n of Nigeria (HURIWA) yesterday berated the Senate for the approval of N10billion as requested by President Mohammadu Buhari for the Kogi State government three days to the gubernator­ial election.

THISDAY sighted a Police wireless message deploying CSP Usman Musa to Kogi State for the gubernator­ial poll.

Usman by the directive of the

Police wireless message dated 11/11/19 is to coordinate the protection of INEC personnel and INEC Registrati­on Centre Areas (RACS).

But Force Public Relations Officer and Deputy Commission­er of Police (DCP), Frank Mba, denied that the governor’s former ADC was deployed to the center.

He said Assistant Commission­er of Police (ACP) Shems Evans would be in charge of the centre.

“I can confirm authoritat­ively that your position above is not true. The officer in charge of the centre under reference is ACP Shems Evans and not CSP Usman Musa”, he said.

On its part, HURIWA said by delaying the release of the cash till the final hours to the election in which the All Progressiv­es Congress (APC) incumbent Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, is facing stiff opposition from the Peoples Democratic Party’s Musa Wada and SDP’s Natasha Akpoti, the All Progressiv­es Congressdo­minated National Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari have inevitably interfered in the Kogi governorsh­ip poll in an unlawful way.

In a statement by its National coordinato­r, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA said there would be no level-playing field for all the contestant­s because of the approval of N10 billion was suspicious ahead of such an important election.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Nigeria