Failed conspiracy: The shame of APC

*IG Idris Ibrahim

(Nigeria) By Simeon Nwakaudu

The show of shame of All Progressives Congress, APC, knows no bound. They have belittled Nigerians to the lowest  depths never  imagined. Every passing day, the APC  introduces yet another despicable  crime against  the people.

We know that our security  services have quite a handful of challenges, but never in the history  of  the country  have they been embarrassed and disgraced the way the APC has done.

The December 10 Rivers rerun  elections  would for a long time remain the lowest of all lows for the Nigerian Security Agencies. For no just cause, these security  agencies allowed themselves  to be used by men of questionable  background, criminals without conscience  and territorial  predators.

These security agencies ceded  their levers of control to political crooks, who were in Rivers State simply for mandate theft. The security  agencies  allowed 'students who never studied for examinations ' to rubbish the examination  process by engaging  in unbridled  examination  malpractice.

Without  doubt, these are the worst times for our security  services.  The government  of the day for the mere fact that they were desperate to snatch Rivers State  handed over the Armed Forces  to political lunatics.

The worst in this equation of the absurd is the Nigerian Police. Under Ibrahim Idris, the APC  has turned the  Nigerian  Police into its security arm, playing  all manner of pranks as introduced  by the ruling party.

The APC  positioned the Police as its armour bearer. Rather  than  serving the people of Nigeria in Rivers State, the police assumed the position of APC political thugs. It is sad, but the truth must be told.

One department  of the Nigerian Police  that was desperately notorious  during the December 10 rerun elections was the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS. This unit rather than fight political thuggery, perfected this ugly act.

Their Commander in Rivers State, Akin Fakorede  is Nigeria's worst political  policeman.  An APC  apologist by every stretch of the word and a first grade ballot ballot box  snatcher.

Akin Fakorede was specifically deployed  to Rivers State  by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to join the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations in Rivers State, Mr Steven Hasso  to rig the elections and unleash mayhem on the people.

Akin Fakorede and Steven Hasso have jointly and in liaison  with the IG  Ibrahim Idris  destroyed  the remnant  of the battered image of the Nigerian Police.  Their action before, during and after  the  rerun  elections  will always  speak against  them for years.

Governor Wike of Rivers State wrote  several letters on the misconduct of these compromised policemen, they were ignored by the Inspector General of Police.  The Rivers State House of Assembly  passed a resolution  on their plot to rig the polls, the IGP  looked the other way. When eventually  the IG paid a courtesy call on the governor, the same issue was raised, but he refused  to act.

Few days to  the  rerun elections, Akin Fakorede  on the  instruction  of  the  IG distributed SARS  personnel  to APC candidates and their officials.  The IG  also withdrew  the  security  personnel  attached  to  all senior officials  of the Rivers State Government.  The objective  became  clear even to the blind.

Akin Fakorede  bestrode the landscape of Rivers State  like  Shina Rambo. He was ruthless and was APC'S  Yeoman. When PDP  raised alarm, APC  issued a statement  that Akin Fakorede  was the only policeman  that  could protect  them. They  still maintain  that position.

Then on December 10, Akin Fakorede and Steven Hasso showed their true colour. They visited Rivers with violence, deaths and sorrow.  With their boys, they  repeatedly  snatched ballot boxes and results. They hareased journalists and civil society officials.  They smuggled in concocted  results  on behalf of APC.

For Fakorede, his waterloo was the Rivers East Senatorial District Collation centre. Emboldened  by his ugly successes, Fakorede  led SARS  personnel  backed by Counter Terror  Policemen and invaded the Collation Centre.  His aim was to snatch  the Emohua Local Government Area being collated. Fakorede was caught on camera  by Channels Television beating up the INEC Officials.  The timely arrival of the Governor  saved the  day.

When the video was broadcast  by Channels Television, the Police High Command denied all its personnel.  The Police Spokesman  claimed that they were not policemen.  Few days later, Akin Fakorede was identified in the video. The Ibrahim Idris  led Nigerian Police changed its story.

Initially, Fakorede was arrested with the criminal  policemen.  But they were released.  Instead, Ibrahim Idris  ordered the detention of the policemen  who accompanied Governor Wike  to check the excesses of Akin Fakorede.

The desperation of the Inspector General of Police is baffling.  His attitude  to the Rivers Rerun Elections is unbecoming.  This man superintended the worst electoral massacre  in recent times, yet he thinks he will get away.

This brings me to his kangaroo "God Forbid" Panel of Inquiry.  Ibrahim Idris  should be told in clear terms, his  actions and inactions formed the  base of the violence  that the security agencies visited on Rivers people.  He made it clear that he was outrightly  partisan.

For such a man to wake up and order a probe is sickening. It is even worse that he has  premised part of his probe on the audio clip cooked by APC and her media associates. This probe is dead on arrival as it is aimed at finding an escape route for Ibrahim Idris and his  security associates.

In other climes, IG Idris and  other security chieftains  who participated in the Rivers rerun security  misconduct would have been  sacked or forced to  resign. This probe panel further diminishes  the  government  that gave him this opportunity.

I believe  that  the  APC  will continue  to  spin further plots against  Rivers people using security agencies, pliant  sections of the media and government agencies to try to capture  Rivers State.

But the more they try, the deeper  they will sink. They have nothing to entice anyone  , other than  use security agencies to promote  violence for electoral gains. Therefore, their failure  will no end.

*Simeon Nwakaudu is Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor, Electronic Media.