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Uzabe observer beaten by thugs for refusing to vote APC

Mustapha USMAN
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Uzabe observer beaten by thugs for refusing to vote APC

LUCY Ogodo, an Uzabe (CODE) observer, has accused APC thugs of violating her right to vote for her preferred candidate in today’s governorship and state assembly elections in Ebonyi state. 

Ogodo narrated this via her twitter account, adding that security agends looked away while she was being harrased.

She tweeted, “Today I went to my polling unit to perform my civic duty…APC thugs  followed me to my polling booth insisting I vote APC.

“Of course, I refused and voted my preferred candidate after much struggle to tear my ballot paper  in front of the already bought-over security men and INEC staff.

“Afterwards my clothes were torn and I got beaten up. I’m alive and well, thank God. They  threatened to kill me when they see me in town. Well, na God get all man life and we all die at some points. But while I live, nobody will bully me into supporting evil.”

Ugodo Lucy
Uzabe observer beaten by thugs for refusing to voting APC

Condemning the incident, Uzabe called on police to swiftly respond to the incident and protect her and the entire citizens of the state.

“We condemn in totality the attack of our accredited @UZABE_NG observer in Ebonyi State and call on @PoliceNG to act swiftly and protect her and all citizens who have come out to vote.”

The Chief Executive of Connected Development, Hamzaht Lawal, also bemoaned the situation and called on police to safeguard all voters.

Lawal wrote, “The attack of our @inecnigeria accredited @uzabe_ng @Connected_dev field observer in Ebonyi State by overzealous party agents is unacceptable. This is a call to @PoliceNG and other security agents to protect and safeguard all voters #NigeriaDecide2023

“Dear Uzodimma Lucy Ogodo, I’m sorry for the brutality you have faced, and thank you for your tenacity in the election observation mission @Connected_dev”

He added, “Her phone is currently unreachable, and we @Connected_dev are worried. I dare say this is an indictment on security personnel responsible for curbing all forms of electoral violence. We will not relent until justice is served.”

 

Guber poll: North-East states record low voter turnout, BVAS malfunction

Theophilus ADEDOKUN
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Guber poll: North-East states record low voter turnout, BVAS malfunction

IN contrast to the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections, there was a low turnout of voters across polling units in the North-East during the March 18 governorhip and state assembly polls.

Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff and electoral materials arrived on time, few voters turned out to exercise their franchise

According to an electoral observer in Borno South Senatorial District, Toba Yahaya, “The polling unit opened in 9:25 am but the place is scanty election materials are in place but the election has not commenced.”

However, in Adamawa North senatorial district, voters have been having issues.

Mary Musa monitoring Borno Central Senatorial District stressed that voters in Shuwari North experienced difficulty while trying to get accredited by the Bi-modal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS).

“Most voters’ thumbprints don’t respond on the machine. They are bitterly complaining about the failure and they have only one machine on the ground,” she said.

Musa disclosed that INEC staff in  Maimusari Primary School 002, Jere, Borno Central decried the poor turnout of voters.

Also in Wukari Ward of Taraba Senatorial District, low voter turnout was recorded.

Also, there were reports that voters were induced with maggi, wrappers and laundry soaps to vote for the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Shehuri North Ward in Borno State.

Voter apathy mars guber, state assembly elections in Rivers

Ijeoma OPARA
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Voter apathy mars guber, state assembly elections in Rivers

LOW turnout of voters was recorded across polling units in Rivers State during the governorship elections on Saturday, March 18 suggest apathy.

Across many streets in Port Harcourt, several residents were spotted playing ball while voting was ongoing in the state.

In the Okuru area of Port Harcourt, The ICIR spoke to some young men who had organised a football match on the street.

While some claimed not to have registered for the exercise, two others noted that they were uninterested in the election.

“The last elections we participated in, what happened? I am no more interested,” one of the players said.

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were spotted in some polling units waiting for voters to show up for the exercise.

At Polling Unit 088, JDP roundabout in Elekahia, INEC officials were spotted waiting for voters to arrive the polling unit at about 9:00 am on Saturday.

The ICIR also observed at PU 046, 89 voters were registered, but only four voters were on ground at about 9.15AM.

There were also less than five voters present at PU 073, Ward 19, Elekahia out of 200 registered voters expected at the unit.

A resident Port Harcourt, Richard who spoke to The ICIR after casting his vote spoke on the low voter turnout at his unit.

“We have less than 50 per cent of our last turn out right now,” he said.

‘Japa’: EFCC nabs serial visa scammer in Abuja luxury hotel

Oghenekevwe UCHECHUKWU
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‘Japa’: EFCC nabs serial visa scammer in Abuja luxury hotel

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested an alleged serial visa scammer who allegedly specialises in duping Nigerians desperate to migrate to Canada, a syndrome popularly referred to in Nigerian parlance as ‘Japa’.

The 32-year-old suspect, Enock Ifeoluwa Ogungbamigbe, was allegedly preying on citizens seeking relocation to the second largest country in the world either for work or to further their education, delivering fake visas and job offers to his victims.

Ogungbamigbe, who owns a Garden in Mpape, a suburb of Abuja, was picked up on Friday, March 17, 2023, at Transcorp Hotel, Abuja, by EFCC operatives when he responded to an appointment to procure a visa for a supposed applicant intending to migrate to Canada, unknown to him that it was a bait.

His arrest followed a petition by a victim who lost N5 million to the suspect as processing fee for visa to Canada.

The suspect was said to have promised the victim a job upon arrival in Canada. But he allegedly only delivered fake visas to the victims and all efforts to recover the money were futile.

The EFCC said Ogungbamigbe would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

APGA chairman urges eligible voters to vote amid low turnout

Harrison EDEH
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APGA chairman urges eligible voters to vote amid low turnout

AMID concerns of low voter turnout, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Oye, cast his vote in the State Assembly election, urging other eligible voters in Anambra to also come out and exercise their civic obligations.

Oye cast his vote at exactly 10.05 am at PU 003 in Amawbia Ibeakpu Square, in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra.

Oye, who spoke with journalists shortly after he voted, urged electorate to believe in the process by coming out en-masse to perform their civic rights.

He expressed satisfaction with the ongoing voting process and commended residents for conducting themselves peacefully and orderly.

“The voting started on time with large turnout in my polling unit in Amawbia, it has also been peaceful. The people are so eager and excited because they are expecting a new crop leaders.

“Since 1979 I started voting here, there has never been any case of violence. This is the largest polling unit in Amawbia community and We have three polling units here.

“I went through due process, got accredited without stress and cast my vote secretly.

“I commend the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System is working fine,” he said.

Reacting to the low turnout of voters in some areas of the state, Oye urged voters to go out and cast their votes to have a stake in the electoral process.

“People should come out and vote because if you do not vote, you do not have any moral right to criticise any government that comes in.

“Nigeria is our home and we should all be committed to the progress and development of the country,” Oye said.

No priority voting privileges for persons with disability in Bayelsa

Beloved JOHN
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No priority voting privileges for persons with disability in Bayelsa

THERE is no priority voting privileges for voters with disability in a Bayelsa polling booth.

This contravenes the 2022 Electoral Act, which considers the electoral rights of people living with disability and aims to remove the barriers that restrict the full participation of this group of voters and candidates.

The polling unit located under Sagbama local government made no provision to ease the voting process for disabled voters.

It was observed that the voters with disability are made to queue with others as no special treatment or priority voting rights are given to them.

Heads will roll over INEC security breach – Wike

Ijeoma OPARA
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Heads will roll over INEC security breach – Wike

RIVERS State governor Nyesom Wike has said heads will roll over alleged attempts to breach the security of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Friday, March 17.

He disclosed this while addressing journalists after casting his vote at Polling Unit 7, Ward 9, Rumoprikom in the Obi-Akpor Local Government Area of the state at about 11:00 am on Saturday, March, 18.

The governor described the incident as appalling and unfortunate.

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Although he acknowledged that the INEC had denied the reports, he alleged that the Commission’s Director of Security Nebari Ndu was responsible for the breach.

“It’s very unfortunate. Unfortunate in the sense that even if INEC has denied it which is expected, I can tell you that the director of security in INEC headquarters, one Nebari Ndu, was the one that carried that out because Magnus Abe is from Ogoni and he is from Ogoni.

“So I don’t want us to go into details but heads will roll. To breach security is quite appalling. But we thank God that the headquarters have come out to deny it, and the security agencies have taken note of it and will act accordingly,” Wike said.

Speaking on the voter apathy recorded across the state, the governor said residents cannot be forced to vote.

“You know when the first election comes and goes and people don’t get what they want, obviously they are discouraged. But for whatever it is, you can’t force people to come and vote,” Wike said.

He also noted that the INEC had put up a better performance than what obtained during the presidential elections of February 25.

“From what I have seen, I have not heard any complain, I can say they’ve done very well. They have improved more than what we had on the 25th of February,” he said.

2023 Governorship/House of Assembly Elections: ‘Awa lal’Eko’ chants mar poll at Computer Village in Lagos

Marcus FATUNMOLE
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2023 Governorship/House of Assembly Elections: ‘Awa lal’Eko’ chants mar poll at Computer Village in Lagos

SOME people of the South-West extraction have been chanting, ‘Awa la l’Eko’, meaning, ‘We are the owners of Lagos’, as the governorship and House of Assembly elections hold in the state on Saturday, March 18.

The ICIR reporter saw many indigenous people of the region, mostly men, moving across polling units with the mantra at the Computer Village, Ikeja, the state capital.

The act was more visible at the polling units 016, 017, 042, 018 and 015 visited by the reporter.

READ ALSO:
Guber poll: Soludo casts vote, decries low voter turnout

Uzabe observer beaten by thugs for refusing to vote APC

Guber poll: North-East states record low voter turnout, BVAS malfunction

Voter apathy mars guber, state assembly elections in Rivers

The men, mostly looking menacingly, moved across polling units claiming people from other regions should not dominate their land.

However, the reporter did not see them with any weapons. They were not also seen beating anyone. But there are indications fights had ensured in some of the polling units before our reporter’s arrival.

The ICIR came to the Computer Village after the Labour Party candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour,  identified the area as one of the places where he alleged that his supporters and party members were intimidated.

The ICIR reports that INEC’s ad-hoc officers came late to some of the polling units visited, as intending voters had waited for an hour before some of the commission’s workers arrived.

At polling unit 045, Oshinfila Street, Anifowoshe community, Ikeja, Rhodes-Vivour voted at some minutes after 9am. The officials had arrived at about a quarter to 9am.

The ICIR did not witness any major issue with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

Meanwhile, voting began in all four polling units along the High Court, around Area F Police Command in Ikeja, a few minutes after 8am.

Voting also started at polling unit 067 at Ketu Alapere Primary School after 8am.

Unlike in Abuja and other states in the country, there are many polling units on Lagos streets, with some streets having more than four.

The major candidates vying for the state governorship 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 Lagos State. The state tops others in the number of permanent voter cards (PVCs) collected in the country.

Voting is taking place across 4,861 polling units in the state, the highest in the country.

Voters protest over fake ballot papers, result sheets in Taraba

Theophilus ADEDOKUN
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Voters protest over fake ballot papers, result sheets in Taraba

SOME voters in Gyetta Aure and Asibiti Wards of Donga Local Government Area in Taraba Southern Senatorial District are protesting over the discovery of fake ballot papers and election result sheets.

The discovery made in Gyetta Aure Ward halted the electoral process in the nine polling units of the ward.

According to an electoral observer, dissatisfied voters started protesting after the fake ballot papers and results were detected while in Asibiti Ward voters were discouraged to vote due to the fake result sheets.

At the time of filing this report all the electoral materials have been returned to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections have, however, been suspended in the nine polling units in Asibiti Ward.

Low voter turnout recorded in South-East

Harrison EDEH
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Low voter turnout recorded in South-East

CONTRARY to large turnout recorded during the presidential election in the South-East, few voters turned out for the governorship and state assembly polls, with many people going about their normal activities.

In Owerri West, Polling Unit 001-Eziobodo Central School, unlike in the presidential election, there was no sign of election today. The voter turnout was very low.

At 8:16 am in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State, accreditation commenced but few voters turned out.

Also, at 9:42 am in Enugu East Local Government Area in Enugu State, there is a low voter turnout of voters, contrary to what was witnessed during the presidential election.

At Ward 010, in Onitsha North Local Government Area in Anambra State, accreditation started around 8.50 am and things are moving on well.

“They are coming one-by-one,”the Polling Unit official said.

Party agents were seen canvasing and persuading passers-by to vote for their candidates.

At polling unit 27 and 28, Mbieri Hall Opposite Christ the King Catholic Church in Abia South Local Government Area, INEC officials were seen waiting for voters.

Also, in Ebonyi North Local Government Area, low turnout of voters was observed.

At Abakpa Ward 1 Polling Unit in Ebonyi State, the voter turn out is low, even as accreditation and voting has commenced.

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