An angry mob yesterday almost lynched two policemen and an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) driver in Warri for alleged attempt to divert election materials meant for today’s governorship/state assembly polls.
The trio were driving out of the commission’s complex on Esisi Road, Warri when some party agents grew suspicious of their movement and confronted them.
The party agents, The Nation gathered, demanded to search the van with registration number Presidency FG 714V01, and to everyone’s surprise, they found bundles of incident forms and some result sheets concealed under one of the passenger’s seats.
The trio were driving out of the commission’s complex on Esisi Road, Warri when some party agents grew suspicious of their movement and confronted them.
The party agents, The Nation gathered, demanded to search the van with registration number Presidency FG 714V01, and to everyone’s surprise, they found bundles of incident forms and some result sheets concealed under one of the passenger’s seats.
Although the Electoral Officer (EO) for Warri South, Fidelia Omoile, said the materials were not meant for Warri South and that they were being returned to Isoko South, sources said party agents in Isoko South disputed Omoile’s claims.
They reportedly said materials for Isoko South were intact.
Expressing sadness over the development, the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly candidate for Warri South 2 Constituency, Robinson Ariyo, who was one of the party representatives at the INEC office said the development was a confirmation of fears that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was bent on rigging today’s elections.
He said: “The incident confirms our fears that the PDP plans to rig these elections. The position of PDP has always been that card readers should not be used to enable them perfect their rigging strategy. They do not want to relent.
‘’These incident report forms, in thousands, would have gone out of this INEC office if not for the vigilance of my party members and other parties around here. The implication of the form is that if a person is unable to vote with the card reader, the incident report form is filled by such person.
‘’We have a photograph of the bundles that were smuggled out. The materials were not kept inside the rear compartment of the van but underneath the front seat and a police officer was trying to use his legs to push them in. Eternal vigilance is the price we pay for liberty.We are prepared to pay the price, when election is not free and fair, it is a negation to the idea of democracy.’’
Responding to the development, the Electoral Officer for Warri South, Fidelia Omoile, said she stopped at Isoko on her way from Asaba and that while offloading the materials in Warri, it was discovered the non-sensitive materials belonged to Isoko South.
‘’When I got to Warri, I discovered that the materials are in my vehicle and I had to take them back to Isoko. The party agents saw the materials and said no problem. It is unfortunate that the people did not trust their representatives.
‘’It took the securitymen to calm them and for peace to reign, I have dropped the materials to enable my vehicle leave for Asaba and give me more materials,’’ she said.
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