Ondo guber: IGP deploys DIGs, AIG, removes CP

TO ensure effective security during tomorrow's governorship election in Ondo State, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed D. Abubakar, yesterday deployed two Deputy Inspectors-General (DIGs) and an Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) to the South-West state.

He also posted a new Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ndabawa, to the Sunshine State.

Ndabawa is the current Police Commissioner in Rivers State.

The DIGs are  DIG, Operations, Mr. Philemon Leha;  DIG, ‘G’ Department, Intelligence, Abdurrahman Akanmo and AIG Orubebe Ebikeme, AIG Zone 11, Osogbo.

Equally moved to the state on special assignment from the Force Headquarters were the Commissioners of Police (CP-Anti Terrorism; CP-Anti-Bomb Unit and CP-Special Protection Unit).

On ground in Ondo but moved out temporarily due to the operational plans put together by the IGP were the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP Admin) and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of Operations.

The temporary changes would last for the period of the  election and would subsist until the final result of the election have been declared.

Sources at the Force Headquarters informed  that the IGP, as part of his operational programmes, decided to effect the changes “so as to insulate the police from  blames and propaganda by political gladiators in the state, which is the hallmark of Nigerian politics”.

With the development, the affected officers serving in Ondo State would be on “temporary transfer to Rivers State” for the period.

They would, however, resume full operations in Ondo State immediately after the declaration of final results of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Last  Wednesday, the IGP announced restriction of movement and the stripping of all political office holders in the state of their police orderlies until after the election.

Both the police boss and the Police Service Commission (PSC) had warned against untoward behaviour by any police officer during the election. Deputy Force Public Relations Officer (DFPRO), CSP Frank Mba, in a statement last Wednesday, said the IGP took the decisions to ensure “free, fair and peaceful elections”  

According to him, the restriction of movement was in two phases and commenced from 6 p.m. yesterday up till 6 a.m. today, adding that this particular restriction would only affect movement in and out of Akure, the state capital.

Apart from this, another round of restriction of movement would commence as from 6 p.m. today and end tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Mba explained that the IGP slammed “total restriction of movements in and out of the state, except for those on essential duties. 

Meanwhile, an opinion poll released by Gallop Polls Limited yesterday gave the candidate of the Labour Party, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, a clear lead in the exercise conducted by the organisation.

He was closely followed by the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olusola Oke, came third.

The result released by the Chief Executive Officer of Gallop Polls, Chief Anthony Chigbo, to reporters gave the LP candidate 89 per cent while the ACN was given seven per cent. The PDP candidate got four per cent.

Giving the breakdown of how he arrived at the result, Chigbo said 400,000 respondents were targetted and they were made to show the candidates of their choice by sending AK to 31077 for Akerelodu, OM to 31077 for Mimiko and OK to 31077 for Oke.

At the end of the exercise, Chigbo said 338,200, representing 89 per cent, decided to vote for LP’s candidate, 26,000 or seven per cent for ACN’s candidate and 15,200 ,representing four per cent, for PDP’s candidate.

His words: “This is a random scientific empirical survey anchored on the views of eligible registered voters in Ondo State as willingly expressed and developed as content. I urge you to have it on record and echo same loud and clear without fear of contradiction that results from Saturday proper polls shall borrow facts and figures you are looking at today.”

Chigbo said the opinion poll released by him would be the outcome of the election on Sunday when the results are released, adding that he would come to confirm the results on Monday.

However, the PDP rejected the result, saying the PDP’s candidate was in clear lead in opinion poll and would win the  election.

Media Adviser to Oke Campaign Organisation, Mr Kunle Adebayo, said the Gallop opinion poll result did not represent the position of things in the state.

Adebayo said the research was conducted in secrecy.

His words: “The gallop result did not say in clear term the class of the respondents, how they were selected. It also fails to tell the whole world how they administer questionnaire on their chosen population.

It is a common knowledge that the economy of individuals, most especially common men, are in shambles. Asking them to send SMS will certainly limit a large number of the electorate whose votes are important than the men of the government who feed fat on the fund of the state.

“How do you think fishermen in Mahin, garri farmers in Ajowa and Eriti, cocoa farmers at Igbatoro, Ala and Igboolodumare participate in a skewed SMS opinion collation? It is all targetted at implementing the rigging agenda of the incumbent. It is a research conducted to pave the way for Dr Mimiko to rig the election. Unfortunately for him, the people of Ondo State are wiser than dishing out a jaundiced research result that was prepared by the commissioned agents of the government.
  
“The governor is only popular among his research agents and those who still profit from largesse that were stolen from OSOPADEC, the abandoned Dome project, Arigidi Tomato project and other money-draining projects that are still ongoing since the inception of his administration. The PDP exists today in the minds of the majority of the electorate and that is where our electoral strength lies not on packaged paper strength.”

The Compass