Violence mars Kogi bye-election

Saturday’s bye-election to fill the vacant Lokoja /Kogi seat in House of Representatives, which started peacefully, with impressive turnout of voters, later became characterized by vote-buying and violence, including ballot box-snatching.

National Daily gathered that suspected political thugs moved from one polling unit to another to perpetrate fraud.

“Although policemen and other security agents were seen at the police stations, they looked the other way, while thugs terrorised people,” a voter said.

People could not exercise their franchise at a polling unit at Paparanda Square as “thugs” invaded the venue, snatching election materials and beating up people queuing to vote.

The same scenario played out at polling units at Mary Primary School, Karaworo, Adnakolo and Crowther Secondary School, where the exercise was also disrupted.

At Adankolo, some thugs threw stones on people queueing to cast their votes at one of the polling units, chasing them away.

Some of voters who came in their vehicles had their windscreens smashed.

At St. Peter’s Primary School, Felele, voters were seen receiving N2, 000 each after being certified to have voted for particular candidates.

Some officials of the Kogi government reportedly moved from one polling unit to another in convoys, accompanied by heavily armed policemen and other security operatives.

Mohammed Haruna, federal commissioner of INEC in charge of Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa states, has however, said that the election would be cancelled where discrepancies and violence were recorded.

“INEC will review every case of violence, ballot snatching, voter intimidation and vote buying and take appropriate action,’’ he said.

Haruna said the rules guiding conduct of elections in Nigeria were clear, noting that election would be voided at any polling unit where rules had been violated.

Meanwhile the Police have confirmed the death of another person during Saturday’s bye-election to fill the vacant Lokoja /Kogi seat in House of Representatives.

Spokesman of the command, DSP William Aya, who confirmed this in Lokoja on Saturday, said the incident had brought the number of people killed during the election to two.

He said that the latest victim, who he identified as Yadau Umoru was killed at Ugwan Pawa polling unit, in front of Maigari palace while attempting to snatch a ballot box.

According to him, the corpse of the deceased has been deposited in the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.

An unidentified man had earlier in the day been killed by a mob at the polling unit located by Abuja Electricity Distribution Company’s office in Lokoja, while also attempting to snatch a ballot box.