Some thugs of a political party have invaded a polling unit (Ward 4, Unit 2) in Mopa, Kogi, and destroyed the ballot papers at the point of sorting.
The invaded polling unit was where a former Kogi Deputy Governor, Arch. Yomi Awoniyi cast his vote.
The hoodlums who came in their hundreds were armed with macthettes, daggas, knives and other dangerous weapons.
The hoodlums came at the moment when the former deputy governor was about granting interview to the pressmen when ballot sorting was about to begin.
Speaking to newmen shortly after the invasion, Awoniyi expressed his displeasure over the unfortunate incidence, saying it was so sad.
Awoniyi, who is the Director General Atiku/Okowa Campaign in Kogi, commended INEC for putting in place a very good process.
According to Awoniyi, the voting process went very well, until around 2:30pm when the Presiding Officer made announcement for the commencement of sorting ballot papers.
”But suddenly, a bunch of thugs very well known to APC members came up, walked casually as if they were just trying to observe and make a quick dash to the ballot boxes and picked them up,”
The former deputy governor explained that the thugs experienced stiff resistance from the voters, but succeeded in tearing the ballot papers thereby rendering the polling unit of no consequence to the elections.
”Now, this is my polling unit and it is quite clear to them that they cannot win this polling unit.
”We were so hellbent on making sure that the process is concluded so that the monumental margin that will come out of this place for the PDP would register.
”However, with what has been done now, there is no way these ballot papers can be harvested, they have been torned and some of them had been taken away.
”I don’t know what will happen going forward. But it is so sad because the level of security in this polling unit is nothing to be happy about. We have only one police woman here.
”It is not good enough,” Awoniyi said.
Some voters at the polling unit sustained various degrees of injuries with blood gushing out of their heads.
Two of the injured voters, Fajenmiyo Kehinde and Ango Samson, told Journalists that they were injured by the thus for defending their votes.
”We know all of the APC thugs very well by their names, those that led them are: Samson Oloruntoba, Ola Joseph, and Segun Alaiyemola the former Counselor, are all there,” Kehinde said.
The injured persons were rushed to the nearby hospital for treatment.
Speaking on the development, a Senior Police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the thugs were well know in the area with several criminal cases.
The police officer said the he had called the Area Commander to report the incidence to him.
”Those thugs are well known to us in these area, and we have called the Area Commander to report this case of ballot snatching and destruction,” he said.
