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Executive Order 21: Don’t Put Us In The Middle, Go To Court If You Are Aggrieved – Rivers Police To Political Parties

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'I’ve Not Seen That Person That Will Suspend Me In PDP' - Wike Declares
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The Rivers State Police Command has told political parties not to put them in the middle of their agitations about Executive Order 21 issued by the State Governor, Nyesom Wike which banned political rallies from holding at public school spaces in the state without due approval and payment of caution fee.

According to the Rivers police, any political parties who have grievances about the order should challenge it in a court of law.

Naija News reports that the Rivers state Police Commissioner, Okon Effiong had yesterday told political parties at a security meeting with them in Port Harcourt, the state’s capital that the police didn’t have any competence to challenge the order.

He submitted that the police won’t allow parties put them in the middle of their agitations with the governors’ order, noting that the gathering was to talk to political parties to get commitments from their supporters about running party activities in peace, as well as be tolerant.

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Recall that Naija News had reported last month that Wike had issued Executive Order 21 to ban parties from holding political rallies at the premises of public schools in the state until approval is given and a sum of five million naira paid.

Effiong said gave the stand of the police in response to questions by some candidates at the meeting asking what their position was on the matter of Wike’s executive order.

The Rivers CP advanced that the police is to enforce laws, and they won’t put themselves at the forefront of agitations.

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He added that “In a country, there are three arms of government. And in every democratic environment, there is a separation of powers and a system of check

“And that is why sometimes people have to approach the court to challenge a particular order. So I want to believe that we are not competent to challenge that order in court.

“Remember, even when you abuse me as a person, the rules do not permit me to react in public even If you abuse me in public, I cannot react in my capacity as a commissioner of police.

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“The police enforce laws. But there is one thing we must keep in mind: we will not put ourselves at the forefront of agitations.

“So we are saying the executive order has been passed, and if we feel aggrieved and we feel it is inconsistent with what we have as tenets, the first thing we need to do is approach the courts.”