Party Chairmen Indict Police, Army over Election Violence
The Forum of Chairmen of Nigeria Political Parties has indicted the army, police and political elite over the violence and other electoral fraud that characterised the Bayelsa and Kogi States governorship elections.
The forum also called for an urgent conclusion of the Electoral Act amendment process, which includes the introduction of electronic transmission of results straight from the polling units to a central database and electronic accreditation figures to ensure that magical and humongous figures are not generated, and to also encourage electronic voting.
The forum stated these yesterday in Abuja during a press briefing after a review of the conduct of the elections in the two states.
Addressing journalists at the event, which had in attendance over 60 party chairmen, the Chairman of the Action Alliance (AA), Mr. Kenneth Udeze, noted that the political party chairmen after reviewing the Bayelsa and Kogi States governorship elections came to the “emphatic and categorical’’ conclusion that the elections were serious dent on the progress made so far, in enshrining free and fair elections.
"The failure of the elections was not caused by administrative lapses or inefficiency of the INEC, but by the treasonable actions of security agencies: Nigerian Army and Nigeria Police, who compromised the process and aided political thugs to disrupt the entire process and cart away electoral materials," he added.
Udeze stated that despite the thousands of security personnel deployed in the two states for the elections, thugs had a field day, particularly in Kogi State, where their activities played a major role in determining who eventually won the election.
He wondered why there was no arrest on Election Day by the police to stop the gun-wielding thugs who stormed many polling centres.
"The collation centres were made inaccessible to duly accredited observers and agents of other political parties except those that were allowed by the thugs; while over 35,000 policemen watched helplessly and haplessly,” he said.
According to him, while the chairmen of the political parties who are the sponsors of the candidates for these elections desire free and fair elections, the security agents did not live up to expectations.
"The Forum of Chairmen of Nigerian Political Parties also concludes that the role of security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Army during the November 16 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States were largely reprehensible.
"Men in police uniforms were seen aiding thugs to carry ballot boxes and other materials from the centres and abducting polling staff," he said.
He added that the policemen deployed in Kogi State were either standing by, watching or were active participants guarding the thugs to carry the election materials and disrupt a hitherto peaceful and well organised process.
According to him, ‘’It was disheartening to hear the Inspector General of Police announce to journalists that the police got intelligence about the plans of politicians to sew police uniforms but rather than announce what the police did to checkmate these criminals and even arrest them for possible prosecution, he announced that the police made tags for further identification of their officers.
‘’The Inspector General did not announce anything else the police did. He has since not announced the arrest of any of the persons he referred to as fake policemen who were on the rampage and heavily dented the credibility of the election.’’
The forum insisted that the police boss owes Nigerians explanations on why the policemen in Kogi State were helpless and could not stop the thugs, alleging that security agencies colluded with political thugs at the highest levels.