In a shocking turn of events during the by-election for Akoko North-East and Akoko North-West Federal Constituency in Ondo State, armed political thugs invaded Unit 5, Ward 13 in Oyinmo, Ikare-Akoko.
The suspects, wielding weapons, disrupted the voting process, instigating panic among voters who fled the scene.
Eyewitnesses revealed that the attack occurred just before noon, with more than 63 people having already cast their votes at that time.
Despite the chaos caused by the hoodlums, security personnel at the polling unit swiftly intervened. However, one of the thugs managed to snatch the ballot box and escape.
Although the criminals successfully absconded with the ballot box, it was reported that the result sheet, BVAS machine, and other materials remained untouched.
The affected polling unit had a registered total of 407 voters for the election.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commended the overall voter turnout and peaceful conduct of the by-election. Prof. Kunle Ajayi, the National Commissioner supervising Osun, Ogun, and Ondo States, expressed satisfaction with the proceedings and noted the absence of violence and vote-buying.
Addressing the incident at Unit 5, Ward 13, Oyinmo, Ikare-Akoko, Prof. Ajayi assured the public that the situation had been restored to normalcy. He commented, “It is normal that miscreants will remain miscreants; they attempted to disturb the election there, but the police overpowered them, and we have restored everything to order.”
In a related development, INEC announced the immediate suspension of rerun elections in specific constituencies in Enugu, Kano, and Akwa Ibom States due to the abduction of election officials, disruptions, and irregularities.
The affected areas included Enugu South 1 State Constituency, Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency, and Kunchi/Tsanyawa State Constituency.
As the nation anticipated the participation of over four million voters in the rerun and bye-elections across 26 states, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, reiterated the commitment to credible exercises. He urged all stakeholders to support efforts to ensure violence-free polls.
The affected states encompass Ebonyi, Yobe, Kebbi, Lagos, Ondo, Taraba, Benue, Borno, Kaduna, Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Cross River, Delta, Enugu, Jigawa, Katsina, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Kano, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
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