INEC suspends Ekiti Assembly bye- election as thugs shoot three dead

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the ongoing Ekiti East House of Assembly Constituency 1 bye-election following the outbreak of violence resulting three persons feared dead.

Newsflash Nigeria had earlier reported that three people have reportedly killed including policewoman in the ongoing Ekiti East House of Assembly Constituency 1 bye-election in Omuo -Ekiti by some political thugs.

It was gathered that the hoodlums stormed the venue of the election and shot sporadically to scare the people in the polling unit away.

Source gathered that the thugs stormed the Iworo polling unit Obadore, Omuo- Ekiti to snatch the ballot box but the security men did not allow them to snatch the ballot box after which the thugs released fire thereby resulting in the killing of one policewoman, NYSC member and two voters named a 52 -year old Bola Adebisi and 36-year old Tunde Ogunleye.

The election had just started barely two hours when violence erupted and forced voters, INEC officials and security agents to stop the election, as everyone had to scamper for safety.

The Senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District, Senator Olujimi, said she narrowly escaped being shot as political thugs invaded her polling unit at ward 7 unit 007.

The federal lawmaker said she was snuck out of the polling unit by party supporters.

Besides shootings and killings, there were also reported cases of ballot snatching in Ward 9 unit 008 in the constituency.

Recounting how the crisis was triggered in her unit, Senator Olujimi, said the election started peacefully before some APC thugs and compromised police officers started disrupting the voting process.

“The leaders of APC came to the polling unit, in fact, we greeted warmly. After they left, some APC thugs who stayed behind pulled out guns and started shooting sporadically. This is the first time we would witness this. They picked the ballot box and ran away.

“A man died as he was trying to escape the scene. The policewoman guarding the ballot box was also shot in the head. The corps member and presiding officer at the unit were hit by bullets. In total, eight people were shot. Some dead and five are battling with their lives in the hospital receiving treatments”, she narrated.

Olujimi accused the leaders of APC of being the masterminds of the horrendous attack, saying they mobilised people from all over the state for the election taking place in just five wards.

A member of the House of Representatives and a native of the town, Hon. Femi Bamisile, described the shooting as appalling and unbelievable, saying no election is worth the blood of any Nigerian.

“In any election where people are being lost, that is no longer democracy. APC was fully prepared for this election and canvassed for votes and we never wanted to kill anybody. I really don’t understand how it happened. I didn’t want to believe that it was our party. The election started peacefully what could have erupted shootings and killings?”, he asked.

Regretting the extreme show of brutal force by political goons, the PDP candidate in the election, Mr. Akinrinade Adeniran, said the signal of war started manifesting on Friday night when his house and cars were allegedly riddled with bullets.

“They invaded my compound on Friday and smashed my car’s windscreens with gunshots. They also shot at the roof of my building. This is no longer a democracy. Democracy is the government of the people and the people should be allowed to make their choices through their votes”.

But the police said the voters were shot dead while a youth corper, a police woman and an lNEC staff sustained gunshot wounds by suspected political thugs.

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Abutu, said only six persons were shot.

“Today, some hoodlums attacked ward 7 unit 7 during the House of Assembly bye-election.

“In the process, six people were injured, among them were two policemen and one National Youths Service CorpsCorps(NYSC) member who are currently receiving treatment in Ikole General Hospital”.

Abutu said the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemihas, however, given a directive that all the suspects involved must be apprehended and brought to book.

Meanwhile, INEC suspended the ongoing the bye-election.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Adeniran Tella announced this while addressing newsmen in Omuo Ekiti.

Dr Tella explained that the suspension was based on violence that characterised the exercise in some polling unit in Omuo Ekiti

He alleged that three persons were shot dead while a policewoman, corps member and INEC staff sustained gunshot injuries which necessitated the suspension of the exercise.

According to him, the poll was disrupted in some polling units in Obadore, saying that the safety of electoral officials, materials and Security personnel could no longer be guaranteed.

“The situation is such that, a conducive environment no longer exists for further electoral activity at the PUs and the Collation centers. In view of this development, the Commission has suspended the election forthwith,” Tella Adeniran, INEC resident electoral commissioner for Ekiti, said in a statement.

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