Coordinators of the Federal Government’s N-Power programme in the 17 Local Government Areas of Abia State have decried the continued detention of the state N-Power Coordinator, Felix Obisike, allegedly by the Department of State Services in the state.
Obisike was reportedly arrested and detained by the DSS on February 15 for allegedly being in unlawful possession of written result sheets said to belong to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In a communique issued at the end of their meeting in Umuahia on Wednesday, the LGA coordinators called for his unconditional release, describing his incarceration as unlawful.
They urged the DSS to immediately release him or charge him to court without further delay.
They threatened to embark on a statewide protest if the suspect was not released after the next 48 hours.
They alleged that Obisike was a victim of vendatta, which was aimed at blackmailing him and other beneficiaries of N-Power in Abia “in order to score a cheap political point.”
The communique said: “We challenge anyone, including INEC, who can come forward and confirm that the typed document is a result sheet detached from INEC form.”
The coordinators argued that election result sheets were usually handwritten in the presence of other election stakeholders and not typed.
They also called for a thorough investigation to expose the identities of those that allegedly produced the video recording that was used to blackmail Obisike.
They demanded that such persons be arrested and prosecuted for alleged misrepresentation of facts and misleading the public by spreading falsehood.
They appealed to the Abia State Government to take urgent steps to secure the immediate release of the suspect, in line with its constitutional obligations to protect the people of Abia.
The communique was signed by Johnson Otuonye, the state N-Power spokesman; Chigozie Anaba, Isiala Ngwa North LGA N-Power; and Nkeiru Okechukwu, Bende LGA N-Power.
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