According to a press release by lawyer and
activist, Mr Festus Keyamo, the Commissioner
of Police in Imo State, Mohammed Katsina,
ordered the arrest and detention of 120
accredited independent national electoral
commission observers who are to observe the
Anambra State Governorship election taking
place this Saturday. Find the press release
below...
We have been briefed by the All Progressives
Congress (APC) of the following facts:
1. That on Monday, 11 th of November,
2013, and Tuesday, 12 th of November,
2013, the International Foundation for
Electoral Systems in collaboration with the
Independent National Electoral
Commission conducted training for
accredited independent election observers
who are to observe the Anambra State
gubernatorial election scheduled for
Saturday, 16 th November, 2013.
2. That on Thursday, November
14 th, 2013, the accredited observers who
participated in the training above, met at
Disyne Hotel located at Owerri, Imo State,
for further training of their members
ahead of the Anambra State gubernatorial
election scheduled for Saturday, 16th
November, 2013.
3. That to the utmost dismay of the
innocent and patriotic election observers,
at about 2:00pm, the hotel where they
were undergoing training was surrounded
by heavily armed police officers acting on
the instruction of Mohammed Katsina,
Commissioner of Police, Imo State, who
arrested the entire 120 persons
undergoing training.
5. That the entire accredited observers
are currently in detention at the Imo State
Police Command for no offence.
We however, cannot fathom or comprehend
the rationale behind the actions or decisions of
Mohammed Katsina, Commissioner of
Police, Imo State, mentioned above, as same
are totally untenable in a civilized and
democratic society.
We cannot imagine why accredited election
observers, who were specifically trained by the
International Foundation for Electoral Systems
in collaboration with the Independent National
Electoral Commission, to observe/monitor the
Anambra State gubernatorial election, should
be arrested and detained less than 24 hours to
the election.
We think that this is one of the grand plots to
rig the Anambra State gubernatorial election
scheduled for tomorrow by crippling genuine
election observers and allowing fake observers
to observe the process.
In the light of the above, we call on the
Inspector General of Police to order the
immediate release of the 120 accredited
independent election observers currently in
detention at the Imo State Police Command so
they can perform their patriotic duties
tomorrow.
Thank you.
FESTUS KEYAMO, ESQ.
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