“Elections May Be Better Without Police” – Atiku’s Aide on Rivers LG Polls

In a statement on Saturday, Paul Ibe, the spokesman for Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed optimism that the recent local government elections in Rivers State could signal a new era of improved electoral processes in Nigeria, even in the absence of police security.

Ibe’s remarks came in response to the police’s withdrawal from providing security during the Rivers local government election, which took place on October 5, 2024. He took to social media platform X, asserting, “The withdrawal of the @PoliceNG from today’s #RiversLGAPolls2024 will confirm to the whole world the anti-democratic elements and institutions in Nigeria. The outcome of the election may usher in a new regime in which our elections are better off without the police.”

Despite the police’s absence, reports indicated that voting proceeded smoothly across various polling stations, including Units 14 and 15 in the Ikoku Area of Port Harcourt City Ward 18, where election officials conducted accreditation and voting simultaneously.

The Rivers State Police Command announced its withdrawal from the local government elections, citing a restraining order that prevented them from providing security. SP Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesperson for the command, acknowledged the existence of a court judgment issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja on September 30, 2024, which prohibits the police from participating in the election.