Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Onueze Chukwujinka Okocha, SAN, has urged Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to respect the court order regarding the October 5 Local Government election.
This comes after the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled on September 30, 2024, that the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies cannot participate in the election.
Despite this ruling, Governor Fubara insisted that the election would proceed as planned. However, the police authorities in the state announced that they would not participate in the exercise, citing compliance with the court order.
Okocha warned that this could lead to problems during the election, as the police would comply with the court order by not providing security. He made this statement on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.
“The way forward is for the State Independent Electoral Commission, the Governor of Rivers State represented by the Attorney General of Rivers State to obey the order of the court,” Okocha advised.
He also noted that INEC has stated they won’t provide the necessary register in compliance with the court order, and the Inspector General of Police has confirmed that the police will not provide security for the election.
“INEC has said that we have not given them the register, we will not give them in compliance with the order of the court,” Okocha said.
“The Inspector General of Police speaking through the police spokesman in Rivers State has said we will obey the order of the court and will not provide security for the election.”
Okocha emphasized that former Rivers State governor and current FCT Minister Nyesom Wike is not involved in the crisis.
“The Minister of the FCT is not a party in this case. Why should anybody be calling his name? The issues involved are issues of law and have nothing to do with personalities.”
He pointed out that the parties involved are institutions, including the All Progressives Congress, INEC, Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Attorney General of Rivers State, Government of Rivers State, and the State Security Services.
“People should move away from parochialism and casting aspersions on individuals to score cheap political points,” Okocha added.
He stressed that people should focus on the legal issues rather than making personal attacks, to ensure a peaceful and lawful resolution to the crisis.
The NBA has also condemned the police’s refusal to provide security for the election, describing it as “unconstitutional” and “an egregious violation of constitutional duties.”
