The Coalition of Concerned Nigerians for Equality and Justice has decried the alleged involvement of the Department of State Security in election matters in Rivers and Akwa Ibom state, describing it as a means of truncating the growth of democracy.
The group in their numbers, led by comrade Afoke Okporua, yesterday in a protest at the three arms zone, claimed that the new DSS DG is biased and do not have any business meddling with electoral matters as questioning the electoral commissioners of both Rivers and Akwa Ibom state as unnecessary.
Akporua stated that the DSS that is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring internal and external security is now getting itself involved in matters of election tribunal, “its not necessary, its uncalled for, it is against the fundamental tendency of democracy. For goodness sake we have the electoral act, we have the constitution and matters that have to do with election has to be left solely in the hands of the election tribunal.
He pointed out that “he Department of State Security has no business getting involved in matters that has to do with election. Rivers state has a clear winner and that winner is no other person than former minister of state for education, Hon. Nyesom Wike, who is the executive governor of Rivers state. So therefore the DSS does not have any business prosecuting or harrassing the electoral commissioner of Rivers state. It is unnecessary. It is what I will call meddlesomeness”
He added that “we have a case where the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Yobe state is accused of collecting N50 million from the incumbent governor through his ADC; why has Daura who is the DG of the State Security Services not invited the Yobe state Resident Electoral Commissioner or is it because he decamped to APC.
“Buhari won in Katsina, Buhari won in Kano, nobody has questioned those result. How come you are questioning the results in River state and Akwa Ibom. It is not necessary, it is an attempt to frustrate our democracy, it is an attempt to stifle the opposition and it is an attempt, above all to question the masses for the decision that they have take”
He called on the DG to uphold the tenet of professionalism.
“I’m using this ample opportunity to call on the DG of the department of state security to exercise the highest point of professionalism. The intimidation and prosecution on the electoral commissioner of river state is uncalled for”
He warned that if the DSS do not leave anything that has to do with electoral matters in the hands of the judiciary, the group will have no choice but to call on all the 17.5 million Nigerian youth across the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to “occupy Nigeria until Daura is removed”
The group carried placards with inscriptions like: ‘ DSS: invite the Yobe state REC’; ‘Enough of Selective investigation’ ; DSS: Enough of Impunity, we Demand fairness, transparency, truth and professionalism’; River state has a clear winner’ and ‘Democracy is all about respect for the people, their choices and global best practices’ among others.
