The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), FCT Command, Dr. Peter Maigari has promised to investigate an officer of the corps who was alleged to have been involved in electoral fraud.
Dr Maigari said the officers offence was giving wrong testimony before the election tribunal sitting in Abuja that sacked the chairman of Abuja Municipal Area council, Christopher Maikalangu from office.
The FCT Commandant of the Corps who made this known during a courtesy call on the AMAC Chairman, said the Corps was not privy to any of such extent of involvement in the electoral process and tribunal procedure.
Maigari then disassociated the Corps from involvement in the alleged interference with the electoral outcomes of the February 12, 2022 Chairmanship election for Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), in the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory.
He noted that as far as election security is concerned, the Nigeria Police is the lead Agency, going by the constitution and provisions of the INEC Act.
This rebuttal, followed allegations against one of the NSCDC personnel, Samuel Balogun, as part of those security personnel suspected to be involved in the purported production of electoral results, different from that of INEC, which the Tribunal relied upon for its judgment.
Recall the FCT Election Tribunal recently entered judgement against the incumbent AMAC chairman, Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, in favour of the AMAC chairmanship candidate, from the All Progressive Congress, APC, who was his main challengers, Murtala Usman Karshi in the FCT area council chairmanship election.
According to him, “To be candid with you, if not two days ago, I as the Commandant of the NSCDC, FCT Command, I never heard feelers of any of these things. Thank God that you were able to fish out the officer to be from the Headquarters, so I may not have known if there was any communication between them and the Headquarters, which the headquarters did not communicate to me, and for that whatsoever the misgivings, Chairman, let me allay your fears very clear.
“So, as far as election issues are concerned, I cannot prosecute electoral issues except the Police. The Civil Defender who spoke there, is on his own, and I’m sure the Commandant General is not aware of this, so as I will address the issue with Commandant General. It is not in our character to malign, what we do is the correct thing we have said”.
He Continued that, “My aim of being here today is to synergies with you. Even before the Tribunal ruling, you saw the letter congratulating you. That is to tell you that I was not privy to any, because of there was something, I won’t congratulate you. All the six Area Councils’ Chairmen, I wrote and signed the letters myself.
“I’m making a clarion call to you that all the support that we need, please assist us. AMAC is the seat of power in Nigeria, as such everything that should happen to Nigeria, the best should be here. That alone should encourage and spur people to do the right thing. So, I’m calling on you to please, as I will reel out my request based on various submissions, and those you can assist us to do, please assist us to do them.
Speaking ealier, Hon. Zakka Maikalangu, who lamented that some persons are bent on taking his seat from him by force, as he was rightly declared winner of the chairmanship poll by INEC, however assured the NSCDC in FCT that the Council will synergize to make sure that AMAC is safe.
According to him: ” I’m glad that my spokesman has already aired it out and I believe you will use your wisdom to get this Samuel Balogun and push out the bad eggs in your establishment. I will be glad if you do that so that Nigeria will move forward.
“Evil ones in our society want to take the seat by force, those who never worked for it want to take it by force using your agency.
“The person that did it, did it for his selfish interest because at the end of the election, there was a result giving to each and every one form the politician, political party and security agencies, so surprisingly in taking it to tribunal, something happened on the way.
“What we are having is not what was presented and that need to be address properly otherwise our 2023 is as at stake”.
N.O
