Supplementary polls: Violence, vote-buying reign as APC, NNPP, others win seats
Some of the supplementary elections for two governorship, five senatorial, 31 House of Representatives and 57 state assembly seats across 17 states were marred by violence, vote-buying and other glitches leading to the death of no fewer than four persons, yesterday.
The deaths were recorded in Kano and Kebbi states.
Indeed, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arrested 12 persons in Kano and Katsina states over alleged vote-buying.
In many polling units and constituencies, there were impressive turnouts of voters and balloting was seamless. There was impressive turnout of voters in many polling units in Ogbia Constituency II, Bayelsa State
Already, the ruling All Progressives Congress, won two senatorial seats in Yobe and Plateau and state assembly seats in Ekiti and Ogun among others.
Also, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, maintained its dominance in Kano, winning two more state assembly slots.
EFCC arrests 12 for vote-buying in Kano, Katsina
The EFCC said it arrested 12 persons for alleged vote buying in Kano and Katsina states.
The EFCC Kano Zonal Commander, Faruk Dogondaji, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the suspects were arrested with N1.5 million cash in both states
According to him, 10 were arrested in Doguwa Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano State and two in Kankiya LGA of Katsina State.
Dogondaji said that the suspects were arrested while attempting to induce eligible voters with cash in some polling units.
He said that the 10 suspects were apprehended with N1,357,500 million in Doguwa LGA, while the two suspects were arrested with N242,000 in Kankia LGA.
The EFCC commander said the suspects would be charged in court after investigation
3 killed, 3 houses set ablaze in Kano LGA
No fewer than three persons were reportedly killed while three houses were set ablaze during a clash between residents and thugs who invaded Wudil LGA of Kano State.
The thugs were said to have invaded the area to disrupt the supplementary election as they insisted on voting but were prevented by the residents at a location between Utai and Achika district area.
“The incident happened before our eyes. At least three persons were killed in the clash. About three houses including the house of the LG Chairman were burnt.
“We learnt some thugs were brought to the area to disrupt the election. They were heavily armed while the residents too armed themselves to prevent them from disrupting the exercise,” a source said.
Similarly, violence marred the supplementary polls in Kwaciri, Kurna Gabas area of Fagge LGA and Zangon Marikita, Ungogo LGA of Kano State.
The Presiding Officer of the Kwaciri, Kurna Gabas area, Polling Unit 30 of Fagge LGA, Mustapha Sagir Umar said they started the accreditation and voting exercise in the area some minutes past 10am and the thugs disrupted the exercise twice before normalcy returned to the area.
The story was not different in Zangon Marikita, Ungogo LGA of the state where voting was disrupted but later continued after the police restored normalcy.
Man shot dead for snatching ballot box in Kebbi
A yet-to-be-identified man was reportedly shot dead by soldiers on patrol at Bajida polling unit 001, Fakai LGA of Kebbi State while trying to snatch a ballot box from officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, during the election.
According to eyewitnesses, the deceased was a member of the proscribed Yansakai, a local volunteer vigilante group.
He was said to have intruded into the polling unit claiming to be a security agent.
“He and his group rushed to the polling unit trying to snatch the ballot box as INEC officials were moving the ballot box to the collation centre.
“Efforts to stop him by people at the polling unit failed and as he struggled to collect the gun from a soldier he was shot by another soldier,” an eyewitness said.
Also, there was a stampede at 009 polling units in Takalau area of Birnin Kebbi, the state capital leading to many being injured.
The stampede was caused by a soldier, who fired rubber bullets in the air to scare thugs. In the melee, a woman fainted, one other fractured his limbs and others sustained injuries.
Angry youths in the area were heard shouting “We rather die than allow the army to molest our mothers and elder sister who came to cast their ballots. It is either the military leaves or we take on them; our aged mothers on the queue must be protected.”
One Dan Asabe who volunteered to speak on behalf of the youth said that the military just came to destabilize the polls saying voters were in line already when they came and began to beat women including a pregnant woman. “The solution is the military must leave and leave us with the police otherwise what will happen won’t be good.”
Thuggery, vote-buying hold sway in Ogbaru
Thuggery and vote-buying, missing results sheets, and snatching of ballot boxes and late arrival of INEC officials were rampant in many polling units in Ogbaru federal constituency of Anambra State during the supplementary election in which Afam Ogene of LP, Chu Onyema of PDP and Arinze Awogu of APGA are the leading candidates in the poll.
Ogene of LP was leading before INEC declared the election inconclusive on February 25.
While thugs were moving from place to place in the local government and harassing voters suspected not to be for their candidate, agents of the parties were busy soliciting for votes with cash.
This was in spite of the massive deployment of security officials, including police, navy and army.
At Manus primary school, Okpoko Ward 6, suspected thugs almost attacked journalists covering the election.
At Okpoko Ward 3, polling unit 004 at St Luke’s Anglican Church, party agents were seen making payments to voters who voted for their candidate.
Speaking on the issue, the Anambra state Commissioner for Works and infrastructure, Mr. Ifeanyi Okoma, said that neither the state government under the leadership of Governor Charles Soludo nor the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, was involved in vote buying exercise he said was perpetrated by other political parties in state.
Okoma who stated this at Amazu Ward 5, Amazu polling Unit 009, during the House of Representatives supplementary election in Ogbaru LGA said APGA had been winning elections in Anambra without vote-buying.
Corps member reportedly shot in Akwa Ibom
The polls in Ikono/Ini and Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituencies in Akwa Ibom State witnessed pockets of violence and irregularities.
According to a source, a male corps member serving as Ad-hoc staff at Ikot Efre, Itak unit 2, in Itak ward 11 was beaten mercilessly by suspected political thugs.
The Corper, according to the source, was rushed to a hospital where he is receiving treatment.
Some sources also claimed that the Corper was shot on his leg while few other people were seriously injured when armed thugs attacked voters in Ikono LGA
The residence of a PDP stakeholder in Itak Ward Eleven, Mr Itoro Columba, was also attacked by hoodlums.
The contest for the Ikono/In federal House seat is between incumbent House of Representatives member Mr. Emmanuel Ukpong Udo, who moved from the PDP to the Young Progressives Party, YPP, to seek second time re-election and the PDP candidate and immediate Past Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Glory Edet.
Similarly, political thugs reportedly disrupted the exercise in Etim Ekpo LGA Ward 7 at Ibio Nnung Achat community and Etok Uruk Eshiet Ward 3, by hijacking election Materials.
Sunday Vanguard reliably gathered from an INEC official that BVAs were snatched at some polling units in Etim Ekpo LGA at about 9:00am on Saturday.
When contacted for confirmation of the beating of the Corpse member, the Head of Department Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Odaro Aisien, said he was yet to receive details of the incident from the area.
Anxiety as INEC bars Journalists from collation in Adamawa
In Adamawa, there was palpable anxiety at the INEC headquarters in Yola as officials of the commission denied journalists access to the collation centre, yesterday.
