TheCable

Lawal Daura, director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), is expected to appear before the senate on Thursday to clarify the role of the security oufit in matters of the Rivers state election tribunal.

The DSS has reportedly detained Gesila Khan, resident electoral commissioner of INEC in the state, over the 2015 general election.

Some members of INEC in Rivers and also the tribunal have also been allegedly arrested by the secret police.

The development prompted members of the Rivers state house of assembly to urge the upper chamber of the national assembly to look into the matter.

Commenting on the issue in Abuja on Wednesday, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, speaker of the state house of assembly, appealed to the senate to save the judiciary from losing its independence.

“The DSS purports to be acting on some pre-arranged petitions from persons who are directly interested in the outcome of the various election petitions from Rivers state,” he said.

“We make bold to say that they lack the power or the authority to invite ‎any judicial officer for questioning concerning their handling of election petitions.”

On his part, Samuel Anyanwu, chairman of the committee which has been assigned to investigate the issue, said there ought not to be interference with the judiciary under any guise.

“The independence of the judiciary is a very serious pillar in the dispensation of justice,” he said.

“That is why the committee takes the allegation of intimidation of tribunal members ‎very seriously. If the judiciary is intimidated, then the independence is compromised.”