INEC to announce Rivers rerun date soon

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said the July 30 date for the conclusion of the vacant legislative seats in Rivers State was tentative. The electoral umpire said the main date would be announced soon. Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Elder Aniedi Ikoiwak spoke in Port Harcourt, the state capital, when the Police Commissioner Francis Mobolaji Odesanya visited him.

Ikoiwak said INEC fixed the July date with the hope that it would work. The REC said consultations with political and security stakeholders were on to pick a new date. He hailed the police chief for visiting INEC offices in the 23 local governments and his assurance to make the security of life and property a priority.

Odesanya, who decried the proliferation of weapons in the state, assured INEC of the commitment of the police to recover them from illegal hands.

The police chief noted that although illegal gunrunning was prevalent across the country, the guns in Rivers State were more sophisticated than in other states. He said the police would mop them up.

Odesanya said: “Police have always been on ground; police have always been ready for elections. We are on ground and the state is secured. The state will be secured. “The problem here is proliferation of arms. What is happening in Rivers is also happening in other states. But the problem of Rivers State is that they have sophisticated weapons. So, my primary assignment, my main focus is how to mop up arms. We must mop up arms. We have started; we have been recovering arms.”

On Governor Nyesom Wike’s allegation that Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Idris Mohammad planned to redeploy a certain officer, Odesanya said: “The governor did not mention my name or the position of CP.”

On the crime wave in the state, he said: “The issue of kidnapping has been a recurring decimal here. In fact, kidnapping is much on the decrease now. I assure you that in a short while, people would be free to go about their lawful business without any molestation or fear of being kidnapped.”