PDP leaders, INEC officials, thugs arrested; APC demands cancellation in Kano
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As the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, conducted by-elections across 12 states of the country on Saturday, arrests over vote buying were made, thugs nabbed, party members abducted, and agent beaten up.
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The elections are in two senatorial districts in Anambra and Edo states; five federal constituencies in Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Ogun and Oyo; and nine state constituencies in Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna (2), Kano, Kogi, Niger, Taraba and Zamfara.
These by-elections were caused by the resignation or death of serving members of national and state houses of assembly.
Also, the court-ordered re-run election in Onitsha South 1 State Constituency of Anambra State, and the Ghari/Tsanyawa State Constituency of Kano State, will be held simultaneously with the by-elections.
PDP leader, INEC staff
In Ogun State, security operatives arrested officials of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and two INEC staff at a hotel in Iperu-Remo area, with a huge amount of money in their possession.
In a video that went viral, an interrogator said report indicated that the INEC officials had been contacted and given a large sum of money by the party officials for alleged vote buying.
He disclosed that the arrest of the officials of the electoral body led to the eventual arrest of the PDP officers at a hotel in Iperu-Remo.
The male INEC officer told the interrogator that he was asked by his supervisor to go and collect the cash from the politicians.
Meanwhile, one of the PDP members, who introduced himself in the video as “PDP official in Ogun State”, was heard denying his involvement in the alleged cash-for-vote incident.
He said: “You are just showing money; I don’t know anything about it.”
PDP allege foul play
Reacting, PDP has described the arrest as a ploy to intimidate and disenfranchise its members ahead of the by-election.
Director of Media and Communications of the party, Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole, said the party officer was arrested around 3:30am by security operatives, who allegedly broke into his hotel room in what he termed a “commando-style operation”.
According to him, the PDP officer was in his hotel room relaxing with his driver and an aide when he was whisked away.
Bankole maintained that contrary to reports, no electoral materials were found in his possession, nor was he caught with large sums of money.
His words: “He had only ₦100,000 in his room. No electoral material was discovered in his hotel room or car.
“It is part of a grand plan to scare our people and disenfranchise them. This is unfortunate and shameful in a democracy.”
He also dissociated the arrested member from the arrest of two INEC officials and others who were allegedly apprehended with large amounts of cash in the area.
“He does not know the INEC staff arrested. It is practically impossible for him to lodge in the same hotel room with an INEC official.
“He was only carrying out his responsibility as the state officer of the party under whose watch this election is being conducted,” Bankole added
288 thugs in Kano, APC kicks
In Kano State, the Police arrested 288 suspected thugs during the the Bagwai/Shanono and Ghari/Tsanyawa constituencies by-elections.
The election is expected to produce a replacement for Halilu Kundila, a member of the Kano State House of Assembly, who died after a brief illness.
The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Bakori, said the election was marred by violence, with thugs allegedly hired to disrupt proceedings.
He said eligible voters were afraid to come out and exercise their civil rights due to the presence of thugs wielding dangerous weapons.
Following the development, the All Progressives Congress, APC, called for the elections’ cancellation.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, made the call in a statement on Saturday. He alleged widespread violence and disruption of the exercise by armed thugs in several polling units.
He claimed that voters were forced to flee from polling areas, while security personnel deployed to the affected constituencies were overwhelmed by the attacks.
PDP Reps candidate, 25 others abducted in Kaduna
In Kaduna, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, accused security operatives of abducting its House of Representatives candidate for the Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency bye-election, Princess Esther Ashivelli Dawaki, along with 25 supporters.
At a press conference on Saturday in Kaduna, the state PDP Chairman, Sir Edward Percy Masha, alleged that the operation was carried out by a joint security network.
According to him, the security personnel stormed the hotel in Malali in a bid to arrest the Chairman of the PDP Campaign Council, Hon. Hussein Ahmed-Kero.
But when they could not find him, they allegedly whisked away Dawaki and others.
Vote buying allegation in Oyo
In Oyo State, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, for the Ibadan North Federal Constituency by-election, Femi Dexter Akin-Alamu, raised allegations of large-scale vote buying.
Akin-Alamu, after casting his vote at Ward 11, polling unit 38, University of Ibadan, claimed that from the numerous reports at his disposal, voters were approached with offers of money and other incentives in exchange for their votes during the election.
… caught with N26m
Earlier in the day, security operatives have arrested a suspected vote buyer with cash totalling N25,963,000 in Kaduna metropolis, barely hours before the conduct of the bye-elections in parts of the state.
The Kaduna State Police Command said a preliminary investigation revealed that the huge cash was meant for inducing voters to compromise the electoral process.
Spokesman of the Command, DSP Mansir Hassan, said the suspect had already confessed to the crime during interrogation and pleaded for leniency. Read the story in full HERE.
In Anambra…
In the Anambra South senatorial by-election, the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has been accused of vote buying.
Same narrative in Nnewi South, Nnewi North, Ihiala and Ekwusigo LGs. APGA has been allegedly offering and inducing voters and potential voters with between N10,000 and N25,000 per vote.
In Ukpor, the home town of the APGA candidate in the bye election, Dr Emma Nwachukwu, the story was reportedly the same.
According to a voter, Madam Comfort Okoye, “They came here and gave everybody money ranging from N10, 000 to N25,000.
“There is hunger in the land, some of us rejected their offers, but others didn’t. It is unfortunate.“
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