Party chiefs, thugs hijack Imo supplementary election

Party chiefs and thugs, Friday, hijacked the conduct of the supplementary election in four local government areas of Imo State, sparking fraud, fights and protests in many of the polling stations.

Some security agents even joined in alleged intimidation of opposition supporters, agents and election observers.
The supplementary election had been ordered after INEC declared the April 29 election inconclusive.

An exasperated Victor Umeh, National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, said: “It’s no use. There is massive fraud in the four L.G.As.

“People have been arrested with already written results and thumb-printed ballot papers. It is very frustrating indeed. Unscrupulous elements do not want a free and fair election in this state.”

Signs that all might not go well with the election appeared on Wednesday night after the authorities of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC); in the state withdrew its members from participating in the conduct of the election.

INEC had to make emergency provision for ad-hoc staff from neigbouring Ebonyi, Cross River and River states.
This had a telling effect as election materials and personnel were nowhere many polling stations by 12 noon.

Tension soon rose in the affected LGAs: Mbaitolu, Ngor-Okpala, Oguta and Egbema and Orji ward in Owerri North.
Our newsroom was inundated with text messages from observers who complained of intimidation by party stalwarts in Orji where a PDP chieftain and his thugs allegedly prevented non-natives who registered there from voting.

At Umuagwu in Ohaji-Egbema, a prominent community leader was said to have gone round threatening that anyone who would not vote for a particular party should steer clear of the polling booths.

In Ejemekwuru, Oguta 2 election materials were allegedly diverted to the residence of a party stalwart.
Three men were arrested by the Police in Oguta for being in possession of thump-printed ballot papers.
1000 voters stage protest in Oguta

Not fewer than 1,000 voters at Oguta Local Government Area took to the streets to protest the non availability of electoral materials for the supplementary governorship poll.

The voters trooped out early in the morning for the registration to enable them cast their votes but after hours of waiting in vain for the arrival of the materials the people took to the streets.

NAN reported that as at 2.50 p.m. the exercise had yet to begin and no INEC official could be found in the area to explain the situation.

Courtesy;Vanguard Newspaper