Group faults DSS arrest of Rivers REC, Gecilia Khan

(Nigeria) Grassroots Development Initiative, GDI, has expressed worry with the arrest and harassment of the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Gecilia Khan and some of her staff by the Department  of State Service, DSS.

Secretary of the group, Mr Samuel Wonosike, who spoke in Port Harcourt on Monday, said it was unfortunate that the DSS was being used to meddle into the ongoing Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja over the governorship election in the state.

Wonosike said some members of the Tribunal were also allegedly invited and harassed by the security body, saying the move was part of a grand design to compromise the tribunal.

He added that the God that made Nyesom Wike governor of the state will ensure those allegedly trying to manipulate the tribunal did not succeed.

He alleged that it was after the former governor of the state, Mr Chibuike Amaechi visited the office of the Director of DSS in Abuja that the alleged arrest and harassment of INEC officers in Rivers and members of the tribunal started in Abuja.

"We don't understand how on the 7th of this month Chibuike Amaechi visited the DSS Director in Abuja, Immediately after the visit trouble started in Rivers state. The Resident Electoral Commissiner,  Gecilia  khan, her staff, members of the tribunal are being harassed by the DSS in Abuja.

“This is not the change that we voted for Buhari to give Nigerians. They should allow the judiciary do its job. The constitution spelt out the functions of the DSS. We are surprised that the DSS is interfering in the activities of the tribunal."

He called on President Muhamadu Buhari to call the DSS to stay away from the tribunal in Abuja, adding that the President should also call for the whereabouts of monies allegedly diverted by the former government of the state if truly he was out to fight corruption.

"We are calling on the President to call his DSS director to stay away from the tribunal matters in Abuja.  It is not even normal that our tribunal is sitting in Abuja when there is peace in the state.

Where is the money looted by the past government all these are what we want the Federal Government to resolve. Where is the money for the 1000 bed hospitals for Rivers people."

Fielding questions on the reported statement credited to President Buhari that he would give more attention to areas that voted for him, Wonosike said the statement negated the earlier stand of the President that he was for everybody.

According to him,  Buhari should realize that he is President of Nigeria and not the All Progressive Congress, APC.

"It is funny if the same President who said he belongs to nobody and he belongs to everybody to turn around to say what he said, it is funny. Nigerians believed him when he said he was a President for all. We want to believe that Mr President was not quoted right.

"Nigerians are now seeing that almost sixty days in office we can't imagine the direction that this government is going. The corruption fight we see today is tilting towards only members of a political party. It shows that he it is vindictive. We believe that if there should be any set of people that should be called for corruption they are men who lavished their states money to fund the President's campaigns and their economies crashed.”

Meantime, the INEC boss. Dame Khan has since been released.