Paul Ibe, who speaks for Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of PDP (People’s Democratic Party) in 2023, talked on Saturday about elections happening in Rivers State. He hopes these elections will show us a better way of voting without needing the police to watch over it.
He said this because the police decided not to be involved in the election process in Rivers State.
On a platform called X, Paul Ibe shared, “Today, the police, known as @PoliceNG, are not helping with security during the #RiversLGAPolls2024. This shows everyone that there are people and groups in Nigeria who do not like democracy.”
“The election results could start a new way of voting where we don’t need the police to have good elections.”
Even though there were no police officers during the elections in Rivers State, reports say that everything went peacefully, and people could vote without any trouble.
In one example, workers helping with the election managed both checking voters and allowing them to vote at the same time at a voting place in Ikoku Area, Port Harcourt City Ward 18, Units 14 and 15.
The day before, the police in Rivers State said they would not be part of the local government election anymore.
The police spokeswoman, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, explained in a note named “Proposed October 5th, 2024 Local Government Chairman Election” that they received an order stopping them from helping with security during the elections.
The police command also mentioned that on September 30th, 2024, a court in Abuja told them they could not be part of the election, which is why they stepped away.