Date Published: 08/02/11

How police collude with PDP to contain opposition by Simon Imobo-Tswam

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), which grew out of the West African Frontier Force (WAFF), will soon be readying for its Centenary celebrations in 2030 i.e. having been created in 1930.
But as in the colonial times when its personnel were used to contain the nationalist ferment and perpetuate the status-quo, the same story applies today, with the police actively involved in the containment of opposition to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has been in power for up-wards of 12 years and plans to remain in office for 60 years, minimum.
As the electoral process has entered into the litigation stage, a clearer picture of the PDP strategy is emerging. According a ANPP stalwart, who pleaded anonymity, “the incumbents, scheming for advantage, unleash police personnel on political opponents. They proceed thence to manipulate the electoral process, via police coercion.  
Speaking further, he said: “And when the candidates of the ruling PDP are announced as winners, they hide under the guise of ‘peace and stability,’ to turn the police loose on the population.”  
“This strategy has worked and is working in Niger, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Benue and Akwa Ibom states.” In most cases, the PDP-controlled state government will rig, proceed to arrest the victims of voter-fraud, and then launder the fraudulent mandates by arraigning the victims of such brazen day-light electoral robberies,” he added.
The Moment’s checks confirmed some of these charges. In Akwa Ibom state, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) gubernatorial candidate in the April polls, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, was in Uyo arrested for generally inciting political violence and specifically “levying war against the state with intent to intimidate the governor of the state, Godswill Akpabio.”  
His arrest followed a clash between his supporters and those of the rival PDP on March 22, during which about five people died and property, running into millions of Naira, was destroyed.
He was taken to Abuja, where he was arraigned before an Abuja Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Adamu Bello, in a move that was clearly designed to “disorient him as well as take him away from the campaign trail back home in the state.”
 “Being a two-time senator, former FCT minister, former Uyo local government area chairman, and at present, a governorship candidate, Akpanudoedehe is Akpabio’s political nightmare,” he added.”
Ruling on Akpanudoedehe’s bail application, Justice Bello, said prosecutors lacked the evidence to try the accused.
Said he then: "The complainant wants to hold onto the accused person while they go around fishing for evidence, which has no place in our law."  
He proceeded to accordingly grant him bail. A mild drama then followed when the police, determined to keep him away from the campaign trail, re-arrested him in the court premises.  
When he resisted, the officers, led by senior officer, dressed in mufti,  descended on him, slapping and dragging him out of the court.
He was thereafter taken to Akwa Ibom state where on April 06, 2011, he arraigned before an Akwa Ibom Chief Magistrate’s Court, presided over by Edet Obot.
Even he admitted not having jurisdiction to hear the matter, he ordered the senator remanded in prison custody for 14 days. The judge hinged his ruling on a new law recently passed by the Akwa Ibom State  House of Assembly which empowers the governor to jail anyone for up to 30 days without trial
Before the elections, a Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Engr. Buba Galadima, while alleging a police clampdown on CPC members in many Northern states, decried the governorship candidate of the party in Jigawa state, Hon Faruk Adamu Aliyu.
His words: "What has the IGP got to do with election documents? This is simply unacceptable. Our governorship candidate in Jigawa Hon Faruk Adamu Aliyu was picked by the police. The PDP led government is doing all these to break our supporters but we will remain undaunted."
Ditto in Nasarawa where CPC senatorial candidate, Gen Ahmed Abdullahi (Rtd) was arrested on trumped up charges.  
It was not a different story in Benue where the ACN party headquarters was attacked, party members routinely brutalized and its rallies disrupted by thugs while police feigned helplessness. Many chieftains of the party, including its guber candidate, Prof. Steve Ugbah, and his running mate, Alh. Usman Abubakar, had to seek police protection, ironically.
Only recently, the Benue Chapter of the ACN alleged an assassination plot on the life of Prof. Ugbah on the Lafia-Makurdi Road. Although Ugbah’s Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Mr. Charles Ayede, died in the allegedly failed assassination plot, another party chieftain, Mr. Adaa Maagbe, narrowly cheated death with gunshot wounds, rather than go after the assassins, the Police, both in Abuja and Benue, declared Ugbah and Maagbe as well as Sen. George Akume wanted.  
A staff of Government House Makurdi, who sympathises with the ACN told The Moment: “The treatment of Prof. Steve Ugbah as well as Adaa Maagbe was confusing to us. It is as if the police were angry that both Ugbah and Maagbe did not die, and were determined to avenge their (Police) humiliation.”
“As at today, Ugbah has a case before a Makurdi Magistrate’s court for inciting violence or whatever. All this is to distract him from the on-going litigation process. And the police are heavily behind this,” he added.
Also in adjoining Niger state, sources told our reporter that the arrest, a fortnight ago, of a serving CPC Senator, Alh. Ibrahim Musa, on allegations of tax evasion was “politically motivated.”
Against all machinations by the PDP-state government led by Gov. Babangida Aliyu, Sen. Musa was elected on the ticket of the CPC, defeating a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) and candidate of the PDP, Sen. Nuhu Aliyu, in the April 2011 National Assembly elections.
Before his arrest, the ‘D’ Department of the NPF in Minna, Niger State capital, had summoned Senator Musa, who represents Niger Zone ‘C’ Senatorial District, Kontagora, to report to their office for questioning over some “security issues that occurred prior to his election.”
The Moment gathered, however, that when the senator got there on July 11, 2011, he was thrown into detention on allegations of “tax forgery.”
Even though the shocked Senator showed the police his original tax certificate, which was in his possession, the police officers were intent on doing their “job.” They hurriedly took him to a Magistrate Court at about 5:30 p.m., on a four-count charge of criminal conspiracy, forgery, using fake documents as genuine and misleading public officers.
The Magistrate, Hajia Zainab Gani, proceeded to remand him in prison till the next day ie 12th July, 2011.
Incidentally, Sen. Musa’s arrest came shortly after the defeated PDP candidate filed a petition at the tribunal, alleging that the tax certificate filed by the CPC Senator at INEC was “fake.”  
Reacting to the alleged persecution of Sen. Musa, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) described it as “outrageous, unlawful and scandalous.”  
It also said opposition figure were at the receiving end of PDP-inspired Police judicial persecution.
The CPC condemned the arrest as “a travesty of justice.” The party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Engr. Rotimi Fashakin, said the PDP was again showing “its propensity for using any means at its disposal to muzzle the opposition.”
The CPC said as part of the travesty of justice, the court was made to sit at 5:50 p.m., and without taking any plea, the magistrate ruled that it was too late to delve into the substantive suit. She ordered Senator Musa committed into prison custody till the next day.
The next day, the court refused his bail bid, saying it lacked the jurisdiction to try the case as the case was already before a Federal High Court in Minna.  
After four days behind bars, Barr. Musa was granted bail by the Minna Magistrate court on Friday, July 15.  
Although the state Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, denied any complicity in Sen. Musa’s ordeal, the public remains unconvinced.  
Just as Gov. Gabriel Suswam had earlier washed his hand off the police harassment of Prof. Ugbah and other ACN chieftains, Aliyu protestd his innocence, pointing out that “it is not me that arrest but law enforcement agencies that do the arrest”.  
Since Suswam had subsequently owned up, that as thev chief security officer of Benue state, he had asked the police to arrest Ugbah and co, the public might yet hear a confession from the Chief Servant of Niger state.  
Many people see double standards in police handling of the Musa/Aliyu tango. An Abuja resident, Mr. Terseer Tyotom, who ventured an opinion on the matter, said the police were “behaving true to type.”
He spoke further: “For before Sen. Aliyu’s charge of tax certificate forgery against the CPC lawmaker, a former staff of West African Examination Council (WAEC), Mr. Chidozie Ukpai, had alleged that, while in service, he had helped Suswam by forging WAEC certificate for him.  
But rather than commence the investigation of Suswam for his possible prosecution at the expiry of his immunity, the police arrested the complainant (Ukpai), and proceeded to arraign him before an Abuja Magistrates’ Court.
So when Sen. Aliyu made the allegation, the expectation was that he too would get the Ukpai treatment. But it was not to be. So as it is, there are two standards of justice at work in Benue and Niger states, even though both are within the North-Central geo-political zone.
While in Benue state, Mr. Ukpai has to prove his allegations against Gov. Suswam; in Niger state, another complainant, Sen. Aliyu, does not have that burden; that burden falls on the accused, Sen. Musa. In other words, Gov. Suswam is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law, but Sen. Aliyu is guilty as charged!
But when contacted, the FPRO, Mr. Amore defended the police, saying….
But Nigerians remain unconvinced as the belief subsists that the police are cahoots with the PDP to frustrate political change with a view to maintain its hold on power as predicted by former PDP National Chairmen like Chief Audu Ogbeh and Prince Vincent Ogbulafor.

SIMON IMOBO-TSWAM
THE MOMENT NEWSPAPERS
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