A pro-democracy and non-governmental body, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the reported siege by armed police operatives of the government house in Ekiti State and the reported attack of the governor and his deputy.

HURIWA has also condemned as unconstitutional, the reported invasion by armed police operatives to the campaign office of the governorship candidate of Ekiti state, Professor Olushola Kolapo, and the disruption of the campaign rally of the People's Democratic Party. The Rights group has therefore expressed consternation that men and officers of the Nigeria police force have become members of the armed wing of the All Progressives Congress.

Besides, HURIWA has cautioned the armed security forces to respect the rule of law and abide by the statutory demands of their duties to the people of Ekiti State and halt any further attempts to employ intimidation, harassment and psychological torture all in an attempt to scuttle a free, fair, transparent and peaceful conduct of the governorship poll scheduled for this Saturday July 14th 2018 in Ekiti State.

HURIWA described the physical attacks on the persons of the governor and his deputy by the armed police as an 'assassination attempt' and has called for a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate this grave crime and bring the perpetrators and their political sponsors to book.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director miss Zainab Yusuf stated that: “We have just been alerted by our members in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State of the unusually large numbers of armed security forces parading the streets of Ekiti State just a few days to the much-anticipated governorship poll in which the Presidency has openly declared her determination to win by all means. We were also informed of a reported siege of the Ekiti State government house by armed police and the direct physical torture by the police of the duo of the Ekiti state governor and his deputy in clear violation of section 308(1). We view the attempt on the lives of these two gentlemen as serious crimes that must not be swept under the carpets. We absolutely condemn this primitive resort to self-help by the presidency that has decided to unleash brute force on the people of Ekiti State so as to manipulate the electoral process to favour his political party (APC) and to deny the electorate their constitutional right to elect their own governor that will promote and protect their general interests.”

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