Allegations against me are false, says Rivers F-SARS’ Fakorede

The Assistant Commissioner Of Police in charge of Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad (F-SARS) in Rivers State, ACP Akin Fakorede has refuted the allegation that he compromised the 2016 re-run election in River State.

Reacting through his lawyer, Ayodele Akintunde (SAN), in a letter to The Guardian, the senior cop described the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) election report that allegedly indicted him as false, malicious and completely unfounded.

He denied ever-assaulting Mrs. Mary Tunkayo, Dr. C. Odekpe or any INEC staff as contained in the INEC report, which was published as an advertorial recently by The Guardian.

According to Akintunde, his client was never given a fair hearing when the panel set up by INEC sat and was never invited to state his own side of the story.

He said: “This is clear from all written statements obtained from the relevant INEC staff. The INEC report referred to copiously in your libelous publication lack any iota of credibility because our client was never invited by the panel set up by INEC and he was never given any opportunity to present his own side of the story before the INEC panel concluded its sittings and produced the report.

“To date the report has not even been made available to our client. The conclusions and finding of the INEC panel clearly breached our client’s fundamental right to a fair hearing.”

He maintained that the allegation that his client is an election rigger and enemy of democracy is false.

Fakorede also denied the allegation that he is recruiting, training and arming a special squad to rig the 2019 elections in Rivers State through violent means, describing it as totally false and baseless.

“Our client’s reputation has been damaged and he has suffered considerable distress and embarrassment,” Akintunde claimed.