INEC Rules Out Re-Run In Areas Where Voting Is Disrupted

Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has ruled out the re-run of the Saturday polls at polling units, where voting was disrupted and electoral material destroyed.

It however promised the review of the allegations of manipulation of results, voters inducement and harassment of voters during the polls.

INEC spokesman, Barrister Festus Okoye speaking on the conduct of the polls, said electoral staff would be re-mobilized to polling units where voting did not take place on Saturday.

The electoral body, however cried out over the abduction, harassment and intimidation of some of its staff, as well as killing of one of them during the polls.

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He cited the invasion of the INEC collation centre in Obingwa local government area in Abia on Sunday by gunmen who abducted unspecified number of its staff,

The INEC spokesman also said there were other staff abdicted and released, while others are facing various degree of injuries.

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Disruption of the voting process and carting away of ballot boxes were, on Saturday, recorded in some polling units in Surulere Local Council of Lagos State.

Some political thugs, around 10 am, invaded polling units at Karounwin, Soyinka, and Jimoh Ojoku streets in Surulere where they shot sporadically into the air. As a result of the assault, those who were in the queue to vote ran away, including the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) ad-hoc staff.

Voting recommenced some minutes after the thugs left the scene, only for the thugs to return again. During the first visit, the thugs tore the voters’ list pasted on the walls by the polling units, but when the thugs returned the second time, they opened the ballot box at polling unit 035 and took away some ballot papers.

It was learnt that it was after the two incidents of invasion had happened that policemen arrived at the scene. Some soldiers later joined the policemen maintaining peace and order at the scene.

The same scenario happened in Muyiwa Opaleye and Aguda areas where the voting process was disrupted, but security officers later restored sanity for voting to continue.

A security officer who led some military officers to maintain peace and order at Opaleye Street said that five thugs were arrested in connection with election violence.

At Erinono Primary School, Johnson Bus Stop, the ballot boxes for the presidential election were smashed, while the boxes for the House of Representatives and Senate were carted away.