#EdoDecides2020: Defiant Wike set to clash with police as gov goes against IG order

Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State and chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national campaign council for Edo guber poll, says he will not adhere to the advise of the Inspector General of Police Adamu Mohammed.

Mr Mohammed had advise the governor to leave the state as he has no business in being there while election for who governs the state goes on today. The advise was given after his party raised alarm that he was under police siege at a hotel in Benin City, the state capital.

But responding to the order, the Rivers governor vowed not to leave the state because he is not the only state governor who is in the state.

Although TODAY POLITICS has finally confirmed that Umar Ganduje, of Kano is in the state, it could not verify as at press time that Hope Uzodinma, is also there.

“I am not the only Governor here, the Governor of Imo State is here, Ganduje is here, the deputy Senate President is here. So, why should you tell me to leave? I said I will not leave,” Wike said on Channels Television late Friday night.

“As the chairman of Campaign Council, we have to monitor what is going on and tomorrow, we go out and monitor what is going on. He cannot tell me that I must leave Edo State. It has not happened in this country. I don’t know where we are heading to. For IG to call a governor, to tell a Governor you must leave Edo State. It is the highest level of impunity.

“I am not going to vote, but we hold it as a duty as a party tell us monitor what is going on. I am here to do my assignment, I’m not here on campaign, the people must have made their minds on who they are going to vote for and who they will not vote for.

“But at the end of the day as the chairman of the Campaign Council, I should be able to write a report, say what I witnessed, and say what happened. Not for the IG to call me, a governor, that you must leave the state. I have not seen that kind of thing in my life,” the governor said.

Using the same medium, the commissioner of police in the state, Johnson Kokumo, warned that the force will not tolerate movements in the state which has been restricted.

“The Police don’t need to lay siege on anyone, but the situation is no matter the status of the citizen, in Nigeria we will ensure that we do all within our capacity to create conducive atmosphere for free, fair and credible election,” Mr Kokumo told the broadcast station.

“People having no business within Edo State cannot be moving from one point to the other.

“Movement is restricted. The restriction commences from 12 midnight to 1800 hours of tomorrow when we believe that election would have been concluded.

“So, movement is restricted, nobody is empowered to move about whether you are a governor or you are not,” he added.