Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned the federal government against turning the country into a police state following the restrictions placed on the way of some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and party members, to attend the campaign rally for their Ekiti State counterpart yesterday.

A statement from the media office of the former Vice President noted that the action of the PDP-led federal government in stopping the governors of Kano, Rivers and Edo from attending the APC governorship campaign rally in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, in a Gestapo-like manner is capable of turning Nigeria into a Banana Republic where fundamental rights of citizens are trampled upon with impunity.

Atiku who is also the Turaki Adamawa, was particularly miffed at the way the federal government has been dragging the military and police into politics warning: “the government must stop instigating state security agents, paid from tax payers money, against helpless, hapless and law abiding Nigerians.”

The APC top chieftain who promised at the party’s recent national convention that he would lead the vanguard to unseat the Jonathan administration, enjoined the military he described as “our gallant military men” to remain focused on securing and protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria, “especially, in this time of terror attacks and insurgency across the country.”

He called the PDP-led federal government as inept and incompetent, adding: “a government that deprives its citizens from access to jobs and education as manifested by the on-going closure of some tertiary institutions, such as polytechnics, to be shut for nearly a year, has alienated itself from the masses and will definitely suffer the repercussion at the polls, use of force or not.”

Atiku stressed that the only viable alternative to the PDP-led government is the APC, which he said, “is a prescription for socio-political peace, progress, equity, security, unity and national development.” [myad]

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa state has reacted to the proposed impeachment plot on Governor Murtala Nyako and his deputy by the state House of Assembly, saying that people in the state will resist it.

A statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Reveverend Phineas Padio, described the move as unfortunate and selfish.

The party said that the state Assembly is acting the script of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing it as a blind ambition by members of the House.

“The good people of Adamawa will resist it,’’ he warned.

Meanwhile, the Clerk of the House of Assembly, Mr. Francis Gabsenso, has said that he was yet to serve Governor Nyako and his deputy, Bala Ngilari, the notices of impeachment. This is contrary to the directive by the Speaker, Alhaji Ahmadu Fintiri, on Wednesday that the Clerk should serve the duo with the notices of impeachment.

The Clerk, who spoke with newsmen on the development today in Yola, said that the governor and his deputy were out of town, adding: ‘I went to their respective offices but met their absence.” [myad]

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has deployed an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Bala Nasarawa, to supervise the security operations in the Ekiti State governorship election coming up on Saturday. The AIG will be assisted by four Commissioners of Police.

Ikechukwu Aduba will function as CP in charge of Ekiti State for the period of the election while the other police commissioners will each be in charge of the security arrangements in the three senatorial districts of the state. They are Danladi Mshelbwala (Ekiti-North), Mohammed Ibrahim (Ekiti-Central) and Augustine Eubakhabokum (Ekiti-South).

Hosea Karma, the police commissioner in charge of Police Mobile Force, will supervise the operations of the riot policemen and other special Strike Forces.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, in Abuja today, said that the deployment is part of measures aimed at ensuring a proper coordination of security operations for  a hitch-free election, devoid of electoral fraud.

In the same vein, the IG has also placed an order banning movements in and out of Ekiti State with effect from 6pm on June, 19, 2014, till the election is over.

Abubakar directed that movements be restricted within the state between 6am to 8pm on Saturday, the election day.

“Consequently, the states of Kwara, Kogi, Ondo and Osun, which are contiguous to Ekiti State, will have increased Police presence with all entry and exit points in and out of Ekiti maximally policed.”

However, officials on essential duties such as ambulance service providers, electoral officials, on-duty security men, accredited election monitors and observers, accredited journalists and others are not affected by the order.

The Force High Command explained that the restriction order was informed by the exigencies of over-riding security considerations.

The police command admitted that it is aware of the citizens’ right to freedom of movement, as enshrined in the constitution, but that the order is informed by the need to forestall plans by criminal elements to undermine the electoral process as gathered through intelligence reports. [myad]

Soldiers who claimed to be acting on the order from ‘above’ have held the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi hostage in Odudu, Ondo State. The governor was on his way to Ekiti State today for Governor Kayode Fayemi’s re-election rally but was said to have been prevented from leaving and exiting Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The Rivers State Government, which condemned the development, disclosed that Amaechi was ambushed and held hostage by soldiers and other Federal Government security agencies.

State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, told newsmen in Port Harcourt todayy that the governor was denied entry into Ekiti by soldiers led by a captain, who insisted got the orders from above.

Mrs. Semenitari expressed worry about the safety of the governor, adding that while Amaechi charttered aircraft has been grounded, top government officials like the Ministers of Defence and Police Affairs had landed at the same Akure Airport.

It will be recalled that a similar incident took place at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport where Amaechi was locked inside the airport for an undisclosed number of minutes.

“The Rivers State Government is concerned about the safety of Governor Amaechi who is right now being held hostage commando style by soldiers and federal government security agents in Odudu, Ondo state.

“Governor Amaechi as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ forum and as an APC governor and chieftain had left Port Harcourt this morning for Ekiti State where he was to join his brother governor in his last mega rally before the elections.

“Governor Amaechi was ambushed and refused entry into Ekiti by military personnel acting on orders from above. He made to turn back and return to Akure where his chattered aircraft was parked but was chased and rounded by armed soldiers and security personnel in Odudu, Ondo State.

“In the meantime, the chattered aircraft that conveyed the governor has been grounded while the ministers of Defence, police Affairs and Minister of state for Defence have landed in the Akure airport,” Semenitari said in a statement issued in Port Harcourt.

Mrs. Semenitari explained that, the state government was particularly worried that the Federal Government had singled out Amaechi for harassment and attack, even as she recalled that the incident in Ondo State was coming on the heels of a similar occurrence in Kano State.

The commissioner also decried the move by six members of the State House of Assembly to carry out an illegal impeachment of the state governor at Krisdera Hotel and later on Bauchi Street in Port Harcourt.

“Ordinarily such banality should be ignored as it is neither legal nor constitutional. However in the light of the recent attempts to hoist a Chief Judge on Rivers people through the back door and the attendant rumours that the reason for that desperate act was to make it easier for the PDP to actualize its sinister daydream of ousting Governor Amaechi before May 29, 2015, we believe that it has become necessary to draw the attention of Rivers people, Nigerians and the international community to the situation in Rivers State.

“Only yesterday, in preparation for this tragicomedy, the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party accused Governor Amaechi of importing terrorists into the state and the region. They continued their diatribe by demanding that the governor of Rivers State be put under surveillance.

“The State Government wouldn’t have dignified the PDP’s display of ignorance with a response but for the fact that these accusations coupled with today’s actions are ominous signs of how far the PDP is willing to go in its quest to cling onto power by all means.

“The antecedents of impunity on the part of the leadership of the PDP are instructive and the party’s desperation to harm and stop anyone they perceive as major threat to their crumpling electoral fortunes next year is no longer news. The detention attempt and incident at the Kano International Airport last week are still fresh in the minds of Nigerians.

“Also, the call to put Governor Amaechi under surveillance (or is it house arrest?) on the same day that PDP started effort to unseat the Governor of Adamawa State, His Excellency, Murtala Nyako, is enough indication of the script already written by a jittery PDP.” [myad]