Oshiomhole accuses police of aiding electoral malpractices

BENIN CITY— ANGRY Governor Adams
Oshiomhole of Edo State yesterday expressed
disappointment over the role played by police
officers in allegedly aiding of ballot box
snatching, supervising electoral fraud and
intimidating voters in the just concluded Esan
North East Local Government election in the
state.
The governor, who spoke at the swearing-in of
the Council Chairman, Mr. Sam Oboh, said: "I
am embarrassed that the police have become
electoral officials."
Oshiomhole accused the Minister of Works,
Mike Onolemenmen, and other PDP chieftains
of unleashing their police escorts on the
people of the area during the elections, just as
he alleged that the PDP leaders recruited some
Uromi born mobile policemen to intimidate
voters and perfect arrest of APC leaders.
According to him, "what I heard yesterday and
I am still investigating; if the reports are
correct, then Nigeria should be put on notice
that the police may well have chosen to
become the INEC or EDSIEC officials and have
chosen to overthrow those who are authorised
by law to conduct elections.
"As a Nigerian, I am embarrassed that the
police are involved in carrying electoral
materials, arresting EDSIEC returning officers
and coercing them into a police station and
converting it into a collation centre supervised
by policemen imported from Abuja and Lagos
to subvert the will of the people of Esan
North-East.
"As a civilised man, I felt ashamed that men in
uniform at rather very senior level supervised
this criminal act in the election.
"The Minister of Works and other federal
functionaries, including assemblymen, used
their exalted positions, taking unfair advantage
of the police assigned to protect them and
deployed them for election purpose, detaining
returning officers and treating them as if they
were prisoners of war compelling them to sign
fake results."
Oshiomhole said the law establishing the
electoral commission was clear, noting that
nowhere was it stated the police post was an
electoral office, saying "Police officers were
involved in converting a police post to an
electoral centre. It is an embarrassment. No
one will live forever but our reputation will live
after us.
Edo State under my watch will not submit to
intimidation. Anyone who is under the illusion
that they can use the instrument of coercion to
intimidate us are poor students of history. We
are at our best when we are challenged. I want
to appeal to the Federal authorities and the
security agencies to remain faithful to their
oath of office".
"Yesterday (Tuesday), the police command in
their wisdom chose to turn Esan North East to
a police state, such that we had more
policemen than voters. If we have such
number of policemen, how come we are at the
mercy of kidnappers? We have such
determination to deal with decent civilians and
yet weak to deal with hardened criminals? I
fail to understand that" he said.
To the new Chairman, Oshiomhole said, "it has
been a long political road to travel and you
have shown that you are indeed a long
distance runner. You have shown that our
commitment to the ballot box is unshakable.
Our faith in the democratic process remains
strong and our commitment to one man one
vote remains strong.
"You will not have the resources to share to
those who have worked for you; you will not
have the money to share to those who were
brutalised. But I pray God will use you to use
the resources available to judiciously apply the
resources of your local government and
manage it creatively, fairly and justly to impact
on the lives of the people. That is the only way
you can pay your debts to the electorate", he
advised.
He noted that "having subscribed to the
relevant oath of office, you have to be just to
even to the opposition", adding that is the
promise of democracy.
Responding, the new Council Chairman, Mr.
Oboh said forces of darkness can only suppress
light for a short time and assured that the
Council administration would work assiduously
to develop the local government area.