The Nigerian Police reportedly set up surveillance at the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.
Secretary of the Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Senator John Akpanudoedehe, stated that the arrival of the police was a driven action for safety and security reasons.
At 9 am on Monday, several vehicles containing armed police officers were stationed along Blantyre street where the party Secretariat is located.
About four of the vehicles of the police officers were stationed at the main gate to the Secretariat complex while six other vehicles were stationed at the three major entrances to the street.
Another squad of six vehicles were said to be on watch around the secretariat and its surroundings.
Nobody was allowed to park at the car park outside the Secretariat.
In response to the new occurrence, Akpanudoedehe said the police officers were there at the instance of the party to ensure safety and security after an an undisclosed security report.
He stated that the presence of the police was to reinforce authority of Governor Mai Mala Buni and to secure the safety of individuals and property.
“The police are here to strengthen the leadership Governor of Buni, the caretaker chairman of the APC. What do I mean by that? Whenever you read a security situation, whenever we are privy to a security report, it is incumbent on our part to strengthen Secretariat so that we can protect the lives and property of APC members.
“APC cannot be embarrassed because this is a national government. Therefore we take measures to restore any happenings. We cannot underestimate security report. We cannot play down on it.
“We have a security report, we can’t take laws into our hands, you can’t expect us to call thugs to defend the national secretariat. The right thing to do is to inform the police and the SSS that they may know what has happened.”
When asked how much of the security report threatened the party, Akpanudoedehe stated: “No one should take anything for granted as little as rumor we must have to put everything in place, even the one that is not verifiable, a just rumor we must put it in place because we cannot be embarrassed.
“I am privileged to have been the Minister of FCT. I am privileged to have been a local government chairman. I am privileged to have sat on the federal executive council and I have been privileged to have sat as member security and intelligence committee of the Senate.
‘’So what we consider to be a threat is not what we consider to be a threat. A mere word that you passed by we would heighten it because we don’t want to be embarrassed.”
When questioned if opposition to the position of the chairman following the Supreme Court judgment necessitated the invitation of police, he said: “How can the chairman position be threatened? No his position is not to threaten don’t carry rumors.
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