Some of the aspirants for the Lagos APC council election have lamented irregularities, violence, ballot snatching and rigging in some of the wards.
There are indications that APC may cancel the results of some council elections held on Saturday, over reports of violence and electoral malpractices in some areas.
This is coming as some aggrieved aspirants and members of the APC on Sunday visited the State secretariat of the party to express their displeasure over the elections.
The aspirants, who visited the State secretariat accompanied by their supporters, lamented how the election was allegedly flooded with irregularities, violence, ballot snatching and rigged to favor some aspirants
In a petition to Chief Tunde Balogun, the Lagos State APC Chairman, on Sunday, Prince Kunle Dosumu, the party agent to Mr. Ibrahim Balogun, one of the chairmanship aspirants of Amuwo Odofin LG, complained of how the incumbent Chairman of a particular local government allegedly organised thugs wilding various types of dangerous weapons sponsored across various wards of the LG during the election.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
“I am writing to officially report on the unfortunate incidences that characterized the just concluded APC party primary election for Counsellorship and Chairmanship aspirants held on Saturday, 29th May, 2021 at designated centres across the various wards in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area.
The exercise was marred by violence and electoral malpractices, during and immediately after the primaries that frustrated the efforts of genuine voters and I am hereby using this medium to express my utmost displeasure and register our frustration via this petition. Below are issues that were observed during the exercise.
- Late Arrival of Electoral Officers and Materials: Despite the early arrival of registered party members (voters, aspirants and agents) who came out en masses to vote for the candidates of their choice, the exercise was delayed by the late arrival of the electoral officers and materials. The accreditation and voting did not commence at the scheduled time of 8am due to the late arrival of the electoral officers and voting materials across various designated accreditation and voting centres for the primaries.
- In Ward K the electoral officials arrived the polling unit at UPE Primary School 3rd Avenue Festac by 11:30am.
- In Ward J, elections started at 11:0am at Tomaro Secondary School Tomaro
- In Ward A1, election started 12:00 noon at the Community Primary School Alaba Express along Oshodi – Apapa Expressways
- In Ward C Elections started at 11:30am at 4th Avenue Primary School between 41 road and 401 road
- Electoral Malpractice and Official Malfeasance: Incidences of electoral malpractice were observed in many polling units.
- Accreditation did not take place before the commencement of voting in Wards J, B1, B2, C, A1, A2.
- The electoral officers did not inform the agents on the numbers of ballot papers that were brought and procedures for the process.
- Individuals already in possession of fake APC membership slips were seen stationed within the voting centres and were given free rein and allowed to vote at the centres.
- In Ward B1, electorates were locked out of the compound by the security agents while some notable personalities were allowed access into the poling centre at 5th Avenue Primary School, 5th avenue, Festac Town.
- It was also observed that unregistered party members were being given slips without photographs. External policemen were alerted about the lock out of the supporters of other aspirants and had to enforce the opening of the gate to everyone.
“This brazen electoral malpractice and overt official malfeasance were largely condoned by electoral officials and security personnel, and ably coordinated by certain party stalwarts and identified political figures at the polling centres.
- Disruption and Repression of Accreditation and Voting: In spite of the fact that accreditation and voting commenced more than three (3) hours after the originally scheduled time, it is unfortunate to note that in not less than forty-five minutes into the accreditation and voting exercises the process was disrupted by violence perpetrated by a well know who brought in gun wielding thugs to shoot into the air and scatter the crowd.
“In the ensuring mayhem and panic, they snatched the accreditation and voting materials, carted away the ballot boxes into nearby coaster buses and cars and were seen compromising the ballot boxes by stuffing them with their own voting slips and also destroying some already filled/cast ballots as people ran to safety.
“Suffice to note that there was no free, fair, peaceful, credible and orderly primaries election at various wards, namely A1, A2, B1, B2, C, K and J of Amuwo Odofin Local Government. It goes to note that any purported results deemed as the outcome of the primaries is and could best be described as a charade and scam thus the need and the call for the immediate invalidation and outright cancellation such election results and/or announcement of such candidates as winners.
“We conclude that the conducts of the electoral officers and security operatives can best be described as frustrating, provocative, conniving and complicit which undermined the free and credible processes that the primaries election was designed and meant to achieve. We thus called for the rescheduling and conduct of another primaries election. We look forward to your speedy action.”