The Rivers State House of Assembly has called on the Director of State Security Services to desist from further arrest and intimidation of any officials involved directly in election petitions.
Speaker of the House, Ikunyi Awaji-Ibani while briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt condemned the recent arrest and intimidation of the INEC resident electoral commisioner in the state, Dame Gesila Khan.
The Speaker said it was wrong for any one or group to try to manipulate the pending cases at the tribunal.
The Assembly further called for an atmosphere where all parties to the suit- lawyers, and the Rivers election petition tribunal Judges are free to prosecute their cases in line with the law.
According to the Speaker, “It is with a heavy heart that I address this press conference with members of the Rivers state House of Assembly. We have watched for sometime what is happening as it concerns the last general election in Rivers state and the post election petitions.
“Having followed the activities for sometime we deem it necessary to tell the world what our feeling are. We are an assembly that believes in the tenets of democracy. We believe justice and fair play. If federal institutions are allowed to run independently the Nigerian state will be a better place for us all.
As members of the Rivers state House of Assembly, we are candidates yesterday in an election conducted by INEC and duly sworn-in as members. We are parties to the pending petitions in the various tribunals sitting in Abuja, especially the one handling the House of Assembly petition.
“We are here to make bold and to state unequivocally that by our position, we are protected under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We express our deepest worries and our displeasure in the undue interference and meddlesomness in the political affairs of Rivers state and the state Election petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja.
“We have watched the way and manner the DSS has been intimidating and harassing electoral officers in Rivers state as connected with the 2015 general elections held in Rivers state.
“The DSS selectively invited the state Resident Electoral Commissioner and other INEC officials for questioning. This has the effect of influencing the election petition tribunal.
“We suspect sinister moves as the REC in Rivers state, Gesila Khan was invited to DSS office in Abuja and was detained till 10pm on Wednesday, 22 July, 2015 with a view to report to the DSS daily.
“We make bold to say that INEC is a party and the arrest of Gesila khan under the guise of preventing breakdown of law and order is not only laughable but condemnable.
“We support the effort of the Federal government under the watch of General Buhari to instill discipline in the country but we believe that this can be achieved within the ambits of the law.
“We therefore call on the DSS to desist from further arrest or intimidation of any official involved directly or indirectly in the election petition”.
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