Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
July 10, 2015 – The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is demanding immediate unsealing of local councils in Rivers State by members of the Nigeria Police Force(NPF).
The police took over the coucil following their dissolution by a High Court, last Friday and in the process preventing caretaker committees established by the Nyesom Wike led government from resuming.
The party described sealing of the premises as unconstitutional, reprehensible and an abuse of power and brazen show of partisanship.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh in a statement on Friday said the action of the police is an affront to the ruling of the High Court, which Thursday dissolved the 22 local government councils.
“It was curious that the police allowed the dissolution of local government councils and appointment of caretaker committees in APC controlled Plateau and Kaduna states, even when they were without the orders of the court but elected to clamp down on that of Rivers State, which came as a result of judicial pronouncement,” PDP said.
It therefore charged the Inspector General of Police to come out clean on the matter and assure the nation of the non-partisanship of the police by ordering the immediate unsealing of the councils.
The party said Nigerians and the international community should note the development as another clear indication that the Nigerian police may have become a partisan and compromised instrument in the hands of the APC federal government to destabilize PDP controlled states, particularly Rivers State.
