Edo LG Poll: Thugs snatch ballot boxes,

Edo LG Poll: Thugs snatch ballot boxes,
attack Journalists
on october 22, 2013 at 4:48 pm in news
SIMON EBEGBULEM AND GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE
BENIN CITY - THE rescheduled Local Government
Council elections in Esan North East Local
Government Council of Edo state held Tuesday amid
tight security with leaders of both the APC and PDP
accusing each other of rigging.
And in Esan North East ward 5 elections took a
violent turn when political thugs hijacked ballot
boxes and took to the bushes.
Elections into the twelve wards in the Council
commenced peacefully up till 1: 30pm when
violence erupted in ward 5 which boasted of the
highest numbers of polling units in the council. The
Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony
Anenih and the Minister of Works, Arch Mike
Onolemene were around to cast their votes.
Tension heightened at about 12:30pm at ward 5
when the people were yet to receive voting
materials a MOPOL officer stormed the ward
arresting some APC youths.The youths resisted him
which created further tension at the polling unit.
However temporary relief came when the Edo state
Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adebanjo and the
state Director of SSS, Bello Bakori stormed the
place to restore peace.
Adebanjo told Vanguard that “ there is water tight
security, nobody will mess up here”. As at 12pm
both leaders of the APC and PDP all agreed that the
election was peaceful but expressed concerns over
alleged plans to rig.
At ward 7, the member representing the area at the
Federal House of Representative and PDP chieftain,
Mr Friday Itulah said though the election
commenced late but that he was happy that people
are voting peacefully.
He however alleged that an EDSIEC official was
seen with ink all over his body indicating that he
may have been thumb printing for the APC
candidate.
In his reaction APC chieftain Prince Joe Okojie
accused the PDP of alleged rigging, harassment and
intimidation of their members.
According to him ” sombody from this our
community who is a MOPOL Commander based in
Lagos who obviously is working for the PDP came
this morning arresting three of our members. I went
to the Police station to bail two of them but I was
shocked while I was coming from the Police station
he came to arrest two more persons.
” It was at that point that our people resisted him.
The PDP try to use their federal might to intimidate
and harass our people but we will resist them.
At Atani Primary School the camera of Tell
magazine’s Director of Special Duties, Mrs
Adekunbi Ero, was allegedly snatched from her by
Political thugs as she attempt to shoot the scene of
unrest at that particular unit. A reporter with the
news Magazine Jethro Ebileke was also allegedly
rough handled.
Meantime as at the time of filing the report early
results indicated that the APC won the Councilorship
by elections in ward 9, Ovia North East LG and in Isi
ward Uhunmwode Local Government council.
In Esan North East ward 5 Uromi Girls Secondary
School elections in this ward took a violent turn
when political thugs hijacked ballot boxes and took
to the bushes.
Armed Policemen shot sporadically when pursuing
the thugs. Following the violent incident anxious
voters took to their heels.
Efforts by the security operatives including the Edo
state Commissioner of Police to convince the voters
to come back and cast their votes met with brick
wall due to fear of being shot.
Sam Oboh, chairmanship candidate of the APC and
the John Yakubu traded words, also accusing each
other of perpetrating violence. As at the time of
filling this report, elections were still ongoing in
most of the wards while efforts are being made by
security agents to check the activities of thugs in
most of the polling units.