Barely a few hours to the Bayelsa State Governorship election, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of South-South, Daniel Sokari Pedro has warned all the political actors whom he called principals not to come to the polling units with their aides, warning that if they do, their aids will be arrested as well the principals.
Speaking on Friday evening in Yenagoa during a press briefing, Pedro maintained that the briefing was to disabuse the mind of people that the Police was taking sides stating that they should stop using inflammatory statements that can cause a breach of peace.
He also warned those using any form of security agents to desist forth with sounding a note of warning that if they are caught, they will face the full weight of the law.
Pedro also assured that the Bayelsa state Police Commissioner Tolani Alausa has not been re-deployed as speculated disclosing that he has no power to re-deploy the commissioner but the Inspector General of Police does.
Reacting to the report that there was violence between the PDP and APC supporters earlier in the day at Brass, the DIG maintained that he was not aware of any violence adding that his men were ground at Brass and would have reported if there was any.
He said “Any principal who finds himself in cross line will be arrested. Principals should not come to the voting centre with their aids, if they do, we will get the aids arrested and the principal will be arrested and treated according to the law.
“Since three days ago that I came here, my ears have been inundated with calls from several quarters all of them having to do with this election issue in Bayelsa State.
“There have been complaints here and there and unfortunately, they go on air especially as it has to do with our preparation for the election. Let me sound this loud and clear, that there is no place under the sun where an election takes place that there will be no complaints.
“But these pre-election complaints should not be used to judge police preparedness and that should not in any way shape an election which has not even taken place.
“Whenever such complaints come, we will surely investigate them. I want to appeal to politicians from all devices that they stop condemning the police when an election has not even taken place and again the politicians are charging the already tense atmosphere by making inflammatory statements.
“Ordinarily, if not because of the election, those statements would have been termed to have security implications, when we arrest the person for making such statements now, they will say police is taking sides.
“Everybody should trade with caution. The election is about a few hours away, by this time tomorrow, the election is about winding up, therefore, we should give peace a chance and ensure that we don’t unnecessarily use inflammatory statements.
“And it has come to my notice that politicians have been using some fake law enforcement agents, I want to assure you that whether such law enforcement agents are fake or real, if they are arrested they are in serious problem.
“I assure them, so whether they are real or fake, it is not the issue. The issue is that they are disturbing the electoral process and we will not allow it.
“If there was fracas between the two parties, it is not known to me, we have CP election covering Brass and we receive daily information so the situation never arose if it did, the commissioner in charge of Brass would have reported it and to the best of my knowledge, I have not received such complain.
“The commissioner of police is deployed to work here, he is the CP Bayelsa State command and the CP Bayelsa election, if there is any deployment, it will be done by the IG not me. I don’t have the power to redeploy anybody.
“There are control room numbers which can be used to assess us, they are 07034578208 and 09167322691.
