Ahead of the Saturday’s presidential election, Rivers state has recorded the first report of hijacking of electoral materials meant for the Presidential election in the state.
Violence has dominated the political atmosphere of Rivers State since the build up to the 2015 general elections started in earnest.
Reports reaching DAILY POST has it that electoral materials and INEC personnel deployed to certain Local government areas in the state have been hijacked by unknown hoodlums.
We gathered that thugs working for a particular political party in the state attacked INEC officials who were moving election materials to Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru and Gokana Local Government areas.
Confirming the incident, a member of the APC in the state said: “PDP thugs hijacked materials and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, personnel meant for Akuku Toru Wards 15, 16 and 17. The hijacked materials and men were taken to Freetown, a hinterland coastal community. The attack was led by two youths whose identities are known.
“In Tombia, in the same Akuku Toru local government area, PDP had by Friday night filled the community with Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, bouncers who were attacking APC members and at the same time, preventing those returning home to vote from entering the town. They were doing so in the presence of soldiers who were too few in number. The Caretaker Committee Chairman and others were injured on Friday.
“In Buguma, which is in Asari Toru Local government area, policemen were busy all day arresting chieftains of All Progressives Congress, APC.
“In Gokana local government, trained INEC ad-hoc personnel were replaced with untrained manpower suspected to be PDP members. It was believed to have been done in connivance with the LGA Electoral Officer, EO,” he said.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress, APC in Obio/Akpor local government area alleged that non members of NYSC have been recruited and deployed to the area for today’s general election.
The leader of the APC in Obio/Akpor local government area, Tony Okocha, in a statement, said the fake corps members were to be deployed to polling units in the area.
He said uniforms have been sown for the fake corpers.
According to Tony Okocha, some of the wards where the fake corpers are to be deployed to in Obio/Akpor include ward 9, 10, 11 and 17 among others.
He warned that the APC will resist any attempt to use fake corpers to rig the elections in favour of the PDP.
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