Two senior policemen, an Area Commander (AC) and Divisional Police Officer (DPO), yesterday told the Rivers State governorship election tribunal that no incident of violence or malpractices were recorded during the Aprill 11 election in the state.
Kenneth Akuke (an Assistant Commissioner of Police and the Area Commander, Bonny Area Command, Rivers State) and Uche Mike Chukwuma ( a Chief Superintendent of Police and DPO Borokiri Division, Ahoada East Local Government, Rivers State) testified before the tribunal yesterday in Abuja at the instance of the state governor, Nyesom Wike.
The witnesses, who told the tribunal they played major roles during the election, said the exercise went well and peacefully because they provided maximum security and patrolled the areas their operations covered.
The two witnesses brought to 13 the number of witnesses so far called by Wike in three out of the six days allocated to him by the tribunal.
Some police officials earlier invited by the petitioners – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the election, Dakuku Peterside, had told the tribunal that the election was marred by violence and election materials theft.
Although Akuke and Chukwuma claimed to have witnesses a peaceful election, devoid of any form of violence, they refused to read all the report by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the election, which contradicted the witnesses’ claim.
When confronted with INEC’s report on the election in the areas the witnesses claimed to have witnessed peaceful election, they refused to read the reports on the ground that they did not author them.
Akuke, who was Wike’s first witness yesterday, said his tour of duty on April 11 was in two phases.
“I was charged with ensuring that adequate security was provided within my Area Command and to ensure the election was conducted freely, and that the DPOs under me should report incidents as they occurred, to me to beef up security in any Local Government where distress call came from.
“I was also charged with going round and physically ensuring that security was in place throughout the duration of the election.
“At about 7.30 am, I commenced my patrol with a visit to Khana LG, and proceeded to Gokana LG, and moved to Tai LG, before moving to Ogu/Bolo, Okrika and Eleme Local Government Areas, during the first phase of my patrol. That was between 7.30 and 11 am
“I commenced my second phase of patrol at about 1.30 pm and I visited all the places I earlier visited. I was also in constant touch with my DPOs in Bonny, Finima and Andoni and Ogu/Bolo LGs
“I was concerned with security. As I went round, at any polling unit I stopped, I called the most senior police officer and asked him what was the security situation, and they always say the area was calm and there was no threat to security.
“During my second phase at around 1.30 to 2.00 pm, my officers on ground still reported that area was calm and that there was no threat, and I saw electorates, who were casting their votes, the area was calm.
“Throughout my second phase of patrol, I did not witness any violence, area was calm,” Akuke, who was led in evidence by Wike’s lawyer, Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), said.
When asked whether he saw soldiers during his patrol, Akuke said: “Yes I saw soldiers on patrol during my patrol. I saw soldiers in clusters, positioned at Local Government border areas. I never saw any Army patrol team.”
Akuke, who was accused by a police officer, ASP Yusuf Bula (who had testified as Petitioners’ Witness number 50) of aiding hoodlums to rig election for Wike and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), denied such allegation.
Under cross examination, petitioners’ lawyer, Akin Olujinmi confronted Akuke with several documents already in evidence before the tribunal, which contained showed that incidents of violence were recorded on the day of election.
Akuke, who was portrayed by the petitioners’ lawyer as being more a politician than a policeman, said although he was was present at an APC rally in Okirika on February 17, 2015 which later turned violent, he said he was not part of the violence.
“The Police officer shot dead during the Okirika rally was deployed from the police formation sponsored and financed by the state government. Code named – C4I – he was not from my command,” he said.
Akuke also said he did not know why nobody has been arrested and prosecuted in relation to the killing.
Chukwuma said he led the security team that provided security in Ahoada East Local Government during the election. He said the election was peaceful and that no incident of violence was brought to his knowledge.
Under cross-examination, Chukwuma also declined to read reports of independent bodies, admitted in evidence by the tribunal, which indicated that violence affected the peaceful conduct of the election.
Olujinmi also portrayed the witness as being sympathetic to the PDP, noting that he led a team of policemen that disrupted disrupted a planned rally by the APC before the election on January 3 this year.
“On January 3, I was at the Operation Department, and we were asked to go to the College of Arts and Science, where there was going to be a rally.
“We were to go and tell them not to hold the rally because it was going to cause breach of the peace. When we got there, the atmosphere, as I was briefed, I met a group of people.
People were many. They could not hold the rally and I did not stop them. I did not tear gas Senator Magnus Abey that day. Tear gas was fired from inside the crowd,” Chukwuma said.
When asked by Olujinmi whether he knew Rivers State was volatile, the witness said no. He siad he is an indigene of the state and that every Rivers indigene should be ashamed of accepting the claim that the state is volatile
Further hearing continues today.
