Violence, Mass Rigging And Irregularities Mar Ogun LG Election

July 21, 2012 olasope01

It was tales of violence, snatching of ballot boxes and massive rigging at the Local Government elections in Ogun State today. NigerianEcho gathered that accreditation which was supposed to begin by 9am didn’t start until 10am in most parts of the State. In Ijebu Ode Local government, the voters’ registers that were presented for accreditation had names of lots of voters missing. In Ofada, a town in Obafemi Owode Local Government, people were made to write down their names in note books because the voters’ registers were not made available. In Adigbe Police Post, polling unit, Abeokuta; elections were not held as no officer of Ogun state Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) showed up.

The story is not any different in Ipokia, Ilaro and most towns in Ogun West. Wole Oguntoyinbo who spoke with our correspondent from Afon in Imeko/Afon Local Government decried the attitude of the police and the military personnels drafted to the polling centres. He said people were deprived the opportunity of voting due to the late arrival of OGSIEC officials and inadequate voting materials. “My name and that of many voters were missing on the register and they didn’t even allow us to stay at the polling arena. Even when we tried to tell them we voted in the same polling booth in the last elections. Once you are identified as not supporting ACN, you are shoved away and if you don’t move, you would be beaten” says Oguntoyinbo a member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Afon ward of Imeko/Afon Local Government area.

In Asa/Yobo ward, Ewekoro Local Government, Jide Balogun, who narrated his ordeal in the hands of the security aides of the Majority leader of Ogun State House of Assembly said they were tied with ropes while the man and his thugs thumb printed all the ballot papers.

In Odogbolu Local Government, Hon Remmy Hassan, member of Ogun House of Assembly in Irete, Omu ward was reported to have used his security aides to snatch the ballot boxes only to return to the collation centre at St. Peter pry school with the boxes filled with ballot papers already thumb printed.

Two people were reportedly shot at Isara in Remo North Local Government during voting as suspected thugs loyal to the chairmanship aspirant of Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN) snatched ballot boxes. A middle age woman and a man were shot by thugs loyal to the ACN, candidate. They are both receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

A councillorship aspirant of Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN, who was also beaten at a polling booth in Isara, Mustapha Musa Dapo also narrated his ordeal. He said ” now that I was attacked at my polling booth, that a woman was shot in the arm, that those that attacked me were apprehended by the military men, that many ballot boxes that were earlier missing resurfaced with stocked thumb printed ballot papers but were detained at the Isara police station, that the local government bus with the registration number LG 03 SRA was apprehended with by the police, that confusion is everywhere and the election could not be counted, reasonable people might believe this government is nothing but a fraud.”

The Speaker of Ogun House of Assembly, Hon. Suraju Adekunbi, who got to the polling centre in Ayetoro ward 2 with detachment of military personnels instantly ordered military personel to take the ballot boxes away while Wasiu Sanni, Esq., of PDP, who contested against Adekunbi in April 2011 House of Assembly election was mercilessly beaten. In Ago Isaga Yewa south ward 2, OGSIEC presiding officer caught red handed with filled result sheet.

Gun shots were also fired at Agosasa in Ipokia Local Government area to scare voters away.