PDP, Police differ over protest on Osun gov election

…Police invite Saraki, Melaye, Bruce, others for distorting peace
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigeria Police Force have expressed divergent views over the protest, asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, as winner of the recent Osun State governorship election.

While the opposition party accused the police of gagging them, the police said that the PDP was disturbing public peace and causing unnecessary hardship to citizens by blocking a major route -Shehu Shagari Way.

The PDP leaders were led during the protest by its National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara.

Others were Senator Dino Melaye and PDP presidential aspirants – Rabiu Kwankwaso, Tanimu Turaki, Aminu Tambuwal and Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose.

The Police, who were apparently waiting for the protesters, barricaded the road leading to the Force Headquarters and did not entertain the approaching politicians led by Dino Melaye.

On defying police instruction to stay back, the police started shooting tear gas canisters into the air to dispel the protesters.

The PDP chieftains later gathered in front of the Police Children School adjacent to the Force Headquarters where they made their demand and condemned police involvement in what they referred to as election fraud in Ekiti and Osun states.

The PDP leaders had earlier visited the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to demand the declaration of Adeleke as Osun State governor-elect, the immediate resignation of both the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and a national commissioner, Mrs. Amina Zakari, on the grounds of gross incompetence to conduct credible elections.

Addressing INEC officials at the entrance to the commission’s office, Secondus said Nigerians are aware of the activities of INEC and police in recent elections.

“Therefore, we demand that INEC Chairman should resign, Amina Zakariyau should resign. She is the manipulator of all elections”, he said.
Governor Fayose said: “We want to let INEC know a few things and remind them that the damage done to this country is enough. The damage done to our democracy and by extension the common man is enough.

“If the people cannot choose their leader anymore, then we are in trouble. In 2014, APC won election in Osun State by 114,000 votes. But this last election, with all the rigging, APC won by 400 votes, that is a statement enough to say APC is no more in demand in Nigeria.

Responding on behalf of INEC, the National Commissioner on Legal Matters, May Agbamuche- Mbu, said the commission takes the demonstration very seriously.

She said, “We are happy that the protest is peaceful and carried out in civilized manner. INEC is up to this job, we are all here in INEC as professionals and not politicians.

We are going to do our best come 2019. I must say we are a team and decisions are made by the commission and not by any individual. All your comments have been noted and it will be passed to the chairman and the entire commission”.

Condemning the attack by the police, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, described the police attack as “dastardly, unwarranted and unprovoked”.

The PDP vowed that no amount of attacks, aggression or acts of intimidation will deter it from confronting and dismantling the rigging machinery of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and coast to victory in 2019.

It said, “This unwarranted attack has left no one in doubt that our Police has finally been turned into a militant wing of the APC, with direct orders to use force to repress opposition and turn our nation into a one party state.

But the Force Headquarters has invited Saraki, Senators Dino Melaye and Ben Bruce to report to the IGP Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters on Monday, October 8, to explain the attack on Friday at Force Headquarters by group led by them.

A statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Jimoh Moshood, on Friday, stated that Saraki, Melaye and Bruce were captured on camera leading a violent group involved in the disturbance of public peace and public safety, unlawful blockade of Shehu Shagari way for several hours on Friday.

The police further claimed that the group also prevented motorists, road users and other members of the public from having access and passage on the highway.

The Police stated that a protest organised by the PDP in Abuja against the Osun State supplementary election disturbed public peace, public safety and caused innocent people to scamper for safety as members of the group unleashed “violent attack on Policemen posted to ensure security of the Force Headquarters.”

According to the police, the group also engaged in “pushing and hitting the Policemen to forcefully enter the Force Headquarters to cause damage to Police equipment and Government properties”.

The police said, “Today at about 1330Hrs, unruly and violent protesters who are members of the PDP in their hundreds with thugs and miscreants inside several trucks and vehicles blocked the Shehu Shagari way in front of the Nigeria Police Force, Headquarters creating a gridlock of traffic.

“The Police team headed by a very Senior Police Officer despite the provocation, after issuing words of proclamation, warning this unruly PDP protesters who were chanting war songs of ”we no go gree o, we no go gree, we no go gree”, charged the Police personnel who used minimum force and dispersed them.

“That the Inspector General of Police has directed immediate investigation into this unprovoked and unwarranted attack on the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and the Force Headquarters premises.

“Consequently, Senator Bukola Saraki, Senator Dino Melaye and Senator Ben Bruce who were captured on camera are to report to Force Headquarters on Monday,” the Police added.