The general conduct of the Police during the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections was commended by most election observers. Three weeks later, on March 18, during the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, the complaints about Police conduct in the elections completely reversed, with the Police widely accused of unprofessionalism and deep partisan involvement and taking sides in the elections. Nowhere did this become starker than Rivers State where the Police appeared to have enmeshed itself in the murky waters of politics. Election in Rivers State, as in a few other States, including neighbouring Imo is reported to have been marred by electoral malpractices and irregularities. In Rivers State, following conclusion of polls and return of Siminialayi Fubara, governorship candidate of the ruling People’s democratic Party (PDP) in the State as Governor-elect, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Tonye Cole disclosed that they would be challenging the election in court.
On Saturday, April 1, it was reported that the lawyers representing the APC and its governorship candidate in the governorship election petition tribunal were arrested by the Police in Rivers State. The Police claimed it acted on a tip-off that some persons in a hotel (where the lawyers were lodged) were printing materials suspected to be fake election materials. The lawyers were later released.
Protesters identified as supporters of the PDP assembled in front of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Rivers State on April 3, to demand that the inspection of election materials and issuance of relevant documents by all interested political parties should take place simultaneously. According to them, this is to avoid a situation where evidence is surreptitiously released to a political party and used in the course of election petition. The protest has frustrated the efforts of the APC and its governorship candidate to collect documents and inspect election materials at the INEC office. The PDP has also accused Tonye Cole of leading thugs to attack the protesters on April 3. Decrying the situation, Tonye Cole in a television interview recalled how he was assaulted by some of the protesters and told to stay away from the INEC office. He described the actions of the PDP and its supporters as a ploy to prevent the APC from filing its petitions against the governorship election within the stipulated timeframe. He also called on the leadership of INEC and the Inspector General of Police to wade into the matter, stating that the current atmosphere in the State is not conducive for the Rivers State governorship tribunal to operate.
The Police is accused of partisanship in the State.