Violence, ballot box snatching, voters apathy mar bye-election in Ogun

By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

The House of Representatives bye-election in Ikenne,/Remo North/Sagamu Federal Constituency of Ogun State, was marred by gunshots, snatching of ballot boxes and voter apathy.

Also, the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) failure in recognising aged voters was also witnessed in some polling units.

The election which commenced amid low turn out and non-recognition of facial data of the elderly voters by the BIVAS in some polling centres at 8:30am in Ikenne and Remo North local government areas progressed relatively peaceful until afternoon time, when armed hooded hoodlums invaded one of the polling centres; Wesley Nursery & Primary School, Iperu in Ikenne local government and disrupted the ongoing voting exercise, by hooded boys who were armed with dane guns when they stormed the venue.

The Wesley Nursery & Primary School polling unit 4, Iperu 3 in Ikenne local government is the voting centre of the 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu.

Earlier before the roughnecks struck, an INEC official gave a figure of 750 as the number of registered voters and 123 accredited voters at the centre as of 12:03pm but the frightening sight of the invaders and sound of gunshot forced party agents, INEC officials and eligible voters to flee the scene.

The armed thugs, numbering about six, masked in hoods and rode on two motorcycles popularly called “okada’ and started shooting dane guns, thereby forcing accredited voters on the queue and journalists to scamper for safety, while they had a free day carting away the ballot boxes.

However, at the Igan/Ajina polling unit 16, ward 2 in Remo North local government, it was relatively peaceful but there were 445 registered voters at the centre, but as of 11:am, just 64 people were available and accredited to vote. Even with the few turn out, the BIVAS machine encountered challenges identifying the elderly voters.

The situation was pathetic for the 70-year old Sobanke Fasasi, who lamented that he had not been to cast his ballot for the candidate of his choice, saying the BIVAS machine failed to recognize him despite repeated trials.

Fasasi gave his polling centre as Wesley School Isara 2, polling unit 006 in Moborode/ Oke-Ola area of Remo North where voters turn out was also poor.

“I’m surprised and sad because I have not been able to vote. I came forward two times for accreditation and each time the BIVAS could not recognize my face. I don’t know what happened,” he said.

A female Corps member handling the BIVAS said that the machine was failing to recognise elderly voters.

The situation was also not different at the Ajegunle ward 6, polling unit 1 in Ogere, Ikenne local government area where low turn out and voters apathy were apparent.

Similarly, voters apathy was noticeable at polling unit 005, Town Planning Ilisan 1, which had 953 as registered voters but just 98 were accredited as of 11:am.

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