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Thugs snatch ballot boxes, destroy BVAS in Bayelsa

Beloved JOHN
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Thugs snatch ballot boxes, destroy BVAS in Bayelsa

THUGS have reportedly stormed polling units in Bayelsa and carted away election materials, disrupting the voting process.

The thugs attacked Yenagoa constituency II, ward 8, and snatched ballot boxes and other voting materials.

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A different group of thugs attacked Ekeremor constituency 1, ward 1, unit 15 and destroyed the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) by smashing it on the ground along with some voting materials.

2023 Gov/Assembly Elections: Residents foil attempted ballot box snatch in Okota Lagos

Marcus FATUNMOLE
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2023 Gov/Assembly Elections: Residents foil attempted ballot box snatch in Okota Lagos

RESIDENTS of the Ago community,  Okota area of Lagos State have been reported to have prevented some persons suspected to be political thugs from snatching ballot boxes during the governorship and House of Assembly elections on Saturday, March 18.

Viral videos showed the residents running after the suspected thugs in different directions.

“One of the thugs is down,” screamed one of the unidentified residents in the video, adding, “Let the police come and carry him. Look at him. He’s lying lifeless.”

The residents mocked the body, saying, “These are the people that came to take over (the) ballot box.”

The residents expressed delight with the situation, chorusing, “That’s what should be happening to political thugs.”

The ICIR reported how some Lagosians chanted, ‘Awa la l’Eko’, meaning, ‘We own Lagos’, at the Computer Village in the Ikeja Area of the state during the election.

The alleged death of the ‘thug’ is part of many killings in the 2023 elections.

The ICIR reported earlier today how a ballot snatcher was gunned down in Benue State.

The spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not respond to The ICIR’s call seeking to confirm the report. He did not also reply a text message sent to him over the incident.

The major candidates seeking the governor’s seat are the incumbent Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP), and AbdulAzeez Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), about seven million voters are in the state. The state tops others in the number of permanent voter cards (PVCs) collected in the country.

 

 

2023 House of Assembly Election: Suspected thugs harass election observer in Ekiti

Vincent Ufuoma
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2023 House of Assembly Election: Suspected thugs harass election observer in Ekiti

AN ELECTION observer, Sunday Awosoro, has reported harassment by suspected thugs in Ekiti State during the ongoing House of Assembly election.

Awosoro, who is accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), claimed he was harassed while trying to observe polling activities at Irepodun/Ifelodun in the Igede area of the state.

He said that residents in the area reported that some men who impersonated police officers arrived to snatch a ballot box at a polling unit using a red Sienna car. While they were escaping, soldiers on patrol arrived and began to chase them.

The observer was not sure if the soldiers caught the criminals.

Aggrieved residents claimed that the men were sent by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Awosoro shared that while moving to polling unit 10, ward 07, he was welcomed by a hostile party agent, who aggressively demanded his identity and even took pictures of him without permission.

Later, he was accosted by a group of rough-looking young men holding sticks and belts, who accused him of belonging to the opposition party and hit him on the chest.

He said it took the intervention of some women to help him escape.

Low voter turnout recorded in Delta, Akwa Ibom, others

Beloved JOHN
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Low voter turnout recorded in Delta, Akwa Ibom, others

THE turnout of voters for the governorship election in the South-South states has been significantly low.

Contrary to what was observed in the February 25 presidential election, there was the timely arrival of INEC officials and poor turnout of voters in Delta, Cross River, Rivers, Edo, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom.

The ICIR gathered that low enthusiasm among voters contributed to the high level of voter apathy.

And in other cases, concerns about political violence was observed as the reason for the low turnout.

Checks by The ICIR show that the number of voters at polling units in Delta State were very few.

It was the same situation in Bayelsa. In Ward 3, Brass Local Government Area of the state, only 94 of the 377 registered voters were accredited to vote.

Also, in Polling Unit 5, Onna LGA, Akwa Ibom South, Onna LGA, very few residents came out to vote out.

It was gathered that there were gunshots around the area on Friday, March 17, leading to fears among residents.

2023 Governorship/House of Assembly Elections: Suspected ballot snatchers gunned down in Benue

Oghenekevwe UCHECHUKWU
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2023 Governorship/House of Assembly Elections: Suspected ballot snatchers gunned down in Benue

SOME suspected ballot box snatchers have reportedly been shot dead in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State on Saturday, March 18, while voting was in progress.

It was gathered that the thugs invaded polling units 026 and 004 in Gboko South at about 11am and attempted to snatch ballot boxes and the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS), in the full glare of voters.

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An eye-witness, Moses Agure-Dam, who confirmed the development to DAILY POST, said three thugs were gunned down by military officers, but some other accounts say only two persons were killed.

“The thugs invaded the polling units and disrupted the election. They were three in number. One snatched the BVAS, while others snatched ballot boxes but they didn’t not succeed,” Agure-Dam reportedly informed the newspaper.

In a video seen on twitter, which was allegedly taken at the scene, a young man wearing a black tee-shirt matched with blue jean trousers, was seen lying motionless on the ground with soldiers gathered around him, with other spectators in the background.

A male voice could also be heard in the video shouting, “God bless the Nigerian Army. No weapon fashioned against you shall prosper.”

By the time of filing this report, neither the police nor Army had issued any official statement about the incident, nor confirmed the number of casualties.

However, normalcy has since returned to the area and voting activities have resumed.

Violence, inducement recorded in Kaduna, Kano

Mustapha USMAN
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Violence, inducement recorded in Kaduna, Kano

ELECTORAL violence and inducement of voters have been recorded in some parts of Kaduna and Kano states in the ongoing governorship and state assembly election.

In Kano, The ICIR observed violence and threats on voters at the state All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman’s polling unit.

The polling unit, which is located in Chiranchi Ward, Gwale LGA, is a few minutes walk to that of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) governorship candidate, Abba Yusuf.

In Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, PU 008, Hanward Ward, the APC party agents were seen distributing the sum of N1000 naira to voters who intend to vote for their party.

Also, APC agents were seen distributing cooked food in Zaria Local Government Area, PU 063, Tudun Wada LGA. The party agent had earlier distributed N500 to induce voters in the unit.

The ICIR also observed that the APC agents in Tudun Wada Ward, PU 051, called voters to a house and distributed money to vote their candidates.

The ICIR had earlier reported how party agents offered money to voters in Bauchi and Adamawa states.

APC guber candidate alleges intimidation of voters in Rivers

Ijeoma OPARA
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APC guber candidate alleges intimidation of voters in Rivers

GOVERNORSHIP candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers, Tonye Cole, has alleged that voters in certain areas of the state are being intimidated by the opposition.

He disclosed this while speaking to journalists after casting his vote at Polling Unit 2, Ward 12 at Abonnema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area (LGA) on Saturday, March 18.

“So far, we are getting some reports of vote buying and a bit of intimidation and reports of people being warned that if they don’t vote PDP, they should write their will and they should not come out.

“We are taking notes of these things and taking notes of the unit where that is being reported because we are going to write petition against those units where there is intimidation and threat.

“In order areas we see that election is going peacefully but we also hear reports and we need to make sure that this does not happen immediately after the voting process and counting,” he said.

He, however, expressed confidence that his party would emerge victorious at the end of the exercise.

“We believe that we will still come out on top. We want to say that it’s very important that intimidation should not be part and parcel of an electoral process, people should be allowed to vote freely and vote their mind,” he said.

Obi votes, says voter apathy shows lack of trust in electoral process

Harrison EDEH
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Obi votes, says voter apathy shows lack of trust in electoral process

LABOUR Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has decried the low turnout of voters for governorship and state assembly elections in Anambra.

Obi, who expressed concern over the low turnout, spoke after casting his vote at Amatutu Polling Unit 019, Agulu in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.

He said the apathy was due to lack of trust in the electoral process.

“The first thing you will observe is that there is a very low turnout of voters compared to the situation last time.

“The thinking of the electorate is that when people’s votes do not count, why make the effort? It is a depressing situation we have found ourselves in.

“That is why in a country where you have 93 million voters only about 25 million of them come out to vote because they know their votes will not count. I know it will be much less this time,” he said.

The Labour Party presidential candidate however encouraged Nigerians to endeavour to vote for the candidates of their choice.

He condemned vote buying and selling, saying that transactional politics was not the way to save a country that was grappling with economic and political challenges, like Nigeria.

Obi said the Labour Party had presented credible and electable candidates in the states where it fielded candidates.

Kano guber poll: APC, NNPP candidates vote

Bankole ABE
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Kano guber poll: APC, NNPP candidates vote

THE gubernatorial candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Abba Kabir Yusuf, in Kano, have commended the smooth conduct of the election.

Gawuna spoke while casting his votes at his Gawuna Polling Unit; he commended the election so far and claimed his destiny was in the hands of God.

He expressed hope that the election would be peaceful, considering the presence of security operatives.

“Power comes from God, as I always said, and I’m not worried at all because I know God has already destined who is going to win this contest,” he said.

Gawuna praised INEC for earlier preparations and quick transportation of election materials.

On his part, the gubernatorial candidate of the NNPP, Abba Kabir Yusuf, also admitted that the election has been positive from what he observed around his polling unit.

Yusuf, who cast his votes at Polling Unit,033 of Charanchi ward, Gwale, LGA, complained about the activities of the APC chairman in the ward, Abdullahi Abbas, whom he claims insisted that only APC members will be allowed to vote at his polling unit.

He urged the Nigeria Police to detain the APC top official for allegedly organising thugs to obstruct the ongoing poll in Gwale Local Government Area.

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“Abdullahi Abbas should be quickly arrested and prosecuted for organising powerful thuggery to cause uncertainties and create violence at his polling unit, which is against the electoral law,” he said.

He expressed confidence in winning the election and added that his unit’s exercise was going well.

There was fracas earlier between the two party supporters in Gwale LGA, but it was quickly curtailed by security operatives.

Guber poll: Soludo casts vote, decries low voter turnout

Harrison EDEH
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Guber poll: Soludo casts vote, decries low voter turnout

GOVERNOR Charles Soludo of Anambra State has decried low turnout of voters in the governorship and state assembly elections in the state.

Soludo arrived at his Polling Unit 002 located Ofiyi Square, Umueze at Isuofia Ward 13, in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra.

He cast his vote at exactly 11:00 am.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after voting, Soludo urged other eligible voters to come out and exercise their civic obligations.

He commended Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for early commencement of the voting process in the state.

“From the information available to me, I have also sampled views across the state. The electoral process seems to be going on well in terms of deployment of logistics and early commencement of election.

” I think there is a great improvement compared to the previous election in terms of the arrival and deployment of materials. It seems to be going on well, relatively peaceful.

“I’m optimism that the will of the people will prevail, in spite low turnout of voters when compared to the previous election.

“I want to encouraged the people of Anambra to step out and exercise their civic obligations by voting. Anyone who is on the queue before 2:00 pm, will be allowed to vote and your vote will count.

“We expect the finishing, collation and announcement of results to end with a flourish,” Soludo said.

He commended residents for conducting themselves peacefully, so far.

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