MEMBERS of the Rivers State chapter of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have claimed that the police are under pressure to drop charges against three persons recently arrested for printing fake ballot papers.
Over the weekend, the Rivers State Police Command nabbed three people in Port Harcourt for allegedly printing fake ballot papers for next month’s re-run legislative election in the state. Governor Nyesom Wike has subsequently called on the police authorities in the state to ensure that all those directly or indirectly linked to the arrested persons are prosecuted.
However, the governor has alleged that the police are already under severe pressure to drop charges against those already in its custody. He claimed that the printer is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and was contracted to do the job by his political bosses.
Governor Wike said: “I made sure they videoed the documents to ensure the evidence is not killed or destroyed before handing them over to the police. The police are now saying they are under pressure not to charge the suspects to court but we will show you the printers' APC membership card.”
However, Chris Finebone, the publicity secretary of the Rivers State chapter of the APC, has accused the governor and the PDP of stage managing the incident. He insisted that no member of the APC was part of the alleged fraud.
Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed December 10 to conduct the election in the state and the fake ballot papers were being printed to influence the outcome. Nnamdi Omoni, the Rivers State Police Command spokesperson, said the suspects were arrested on Saturday at D/Line area of Port Harcourt.
Mr Omoni added: “I can confirm the arrest of three suspects and the matter is with us as the commissioner of police has ordered discreet investigation. I can assure you that it is being given adequate attention and at the end of investigation, we will come out with our position.”
In addition, Mr Omoni said the state Criminal Investigation Department was currently handling the matter while the command would make its findings known at the end of the investigation. He urged the people to give the police useful information that would assist it fight crime in the state.
Comments
Post a Comment