Suyi Ayodele | Benin
The state House of Assembly election in Edo State suffered a setback at the Internally Displaced Person camp at the Eresoyen Primary School Uhogua- Iguoshodin community, Ovia South-West Local Government Area, Edo, as some gunmen stormed the voting centre, carting away BVAS and other voting materials.
Tribune gathered that three BVAS machines were taken away by the hoodlums unchallenged.
At the Polling Unit, INEC Officials and materials arrived at about 7:30 am and accreditation and voting commenced simultaneously at about 8:30 am.
The three gunmen alighted from their vehicle and started shooting sporadically in the air.
While the voters and INEC officials scampered to safety, the gun-wielding hoodlums snatched the BVAS machine and other voting materials from the INEC officers in both polling units and left in their car.
A voter in the community, Joseph Simon lamented that there was hardly any security agents around, noting that though there were enough INEC Officers on ground, the BVAS Machine allocated to the Unit 17 would not be enough to take the crowd.
“What happened here can only be seen in Hollywood films. Some men came in from nowhere shooting, they also ordered us to sleep on the ground as they took the three BVAS machine away. The INEC Officials and some voters ran into the bush, while voting was disrupted in the units.
“Initially, the INEC Official told us that the BVAS Machine in Unit 11 was not configured because the accredited voters for the last ( Presidential)election were still appearing.
S”o someone took him on a bike to their centre for the problem to be rectified. They came back within an hour and the INEC Official declared that the machine has started working well. It was only about 10 persons that has voted before the gunmen arrived and started shooting.
“Come to look at the whole scenario before the shooting started, what happened in this Unit 17 during the presidential and NASS election would have played out. In the Presidential and NASS election the BVAS machine in Unit 17 was logged out, about 300 persons were unable to vote. While that of Unit 11 in the same polling Unit was still working.
“Inspite of the complain, INEC still allocated one BVAS machine to the Unit 17 while Unit 11 with fewer voters got two BVAS machine. To me, this one looks like systematic disenfranchisement”.l, Simon lamented
Another voter in the community, Mr. Mathew Ikhalo said ” I will describe what transpired at Eresoyen primary school as a Commando film.
“Thugs just took away electoral materials. We all ran into the bush as they were shooting. The security was not adequate. How can one security person be drafted to a Polling Unit as big as this. There was no election here as thugs invaded the Units”. he said.
The incident was confirmed by Evangelist Solomon Folorunso, the Coordinator of the IDP Camp, who said he was in a meeting.
