Former
Federal Capital Territory Minister Mallam el-Rufai has reportedly been
detained by the State Security Service (SSS) in his hotel room in
Anambra state.
The member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was barred from free movement.
El-Rufai, via his Twitter handle, as well as his Facebook profile page, said:
"The
DG-SSS did not pick my call, yet to call back. I have complained to
another senior officer. It is unlawful detention and will be resisted!
"I
intend to discharge my duties today no matter what, and will go out
when ready. I will dare the SSS to shoot... we wait and see.
Further
updates revealed that his phone was also seized: "In the midst of a
phone interview with AIT's Obiora Ilo, the SSS forcefully and unlawfully
seized the phone thus abruptly end the interview."
In
a statement by Interim National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, the All Progressives Congress (APC) lamented the “continued
harassment” of its Deputy National Secretary, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai by
armed State Security Service (SSS) personnel, since he arrived at Awka
on Friday night for the election.
According
to the statement, el-Rufai has not only been restricted to his Finotel
Hotel room where he is staying. The SSS officers took away his phone, as
well as from all those dining at the hotel’s restaurant, presumably to
prevent their pictures from being taken as they laid a siege on the
hotel.
"These
DSS personnel claimed to be acting on orders from above," the statement
read. "Whoever gave them the order, we in the APC believe it is illegal
to prevent a duly accredited top official of a party involved in an
election from moving around to monitor the election. He has a right to
be at the election as our Deputy National Secretary."
Furthermore,
the party has raised the alarm over the fact that voting materials were
delivered late, or not delivered at all the party’s strongholds. The
defined such actions as “a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise the
party’s supporters and make the election anything but free and fair.”
"As
at the time of issuing this situation report, election materials have
not yet arrived at Idemili North and South, Ogidi ward 1, Nkpor ward 1,
Abatate, booth 012 of ward 2 Nibo and one booth at umunnakwe hall; There
is no INEC or police presence at Obi Ilo Okoye polling unit in Awada,
Onitsha; INEC register for 2011 were not brought to Palm Site Market
1&2; INEC is refusing to accredit voters in Awka South LG Ward 8; In
Nnwei north Otolo ward 03, polling unit 14, only 6 people out of 77
were accredited and others couldn’t find their name; In Ward 8, Awka
Government House, PDP agents are openly soliciting for votes in exchange
for money, just as it is happening in Onitsha North Ward 100 and in CKC
Adazi Nnukwu, and at Nteje Unit 004 in Oyi LG, APGA and PDP are
negotiating how to share votes.
The APC also indicated their members were harassed, and INEC guidelines violated.
As
an example, they cited a situation when a polling unit is situated
right under the billboard bearing the pictures of APGA (All Progressives
Grand Alliance) candidate Willie Obiano and his running mate in
Aguleri.
”These
are just a few of the examples of the shenanigans going on right under
the nose of INEC, and we demand an immediate rectification so that no
citizen will be disenfranchised, and so that all the parties will have a
level playing ground. If this is not done urgently, the promise of a
free, fair and transparent election in Anambra by the President and INEC
would have been nothing but a ruse,” APC stated.
Source: The Nation
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