Police on electoral patrol on Sunday arrested two hoodlums who tried to truncate the voting process at Jabi Sarki Primary School polling unit with code 014 in Abuja.
A police officer who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the condition of anonymity in Jabi, FCT, said the hoodlums came from Bwari Area Council to cause chaos at the polling unit.
He said the police arrested two of them because their action was capable of causing tension that could lead to violence and mar the voting process.
He also said a handcuff and other things were found in possession of one of the suspects who claimed to be a staff of the Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Meanwhile, Alhaji Garba Sokoto, a 64-year-old farmer, said he had exercised his civic duty and was waiting to hear the outcome of the result.
Sokoto also confirmed that he saw police officers arresting two men who were taken in a marked police Hilux van to the police station.
He commended the police for the prompt response in bringing calmness to the polling unit as it was very rowdy a day before with hoodlums trying to truncate the process.
Mr Abdullahi Abduramah, the INEC Presiding Officer at the polling unit, said the hoodlums came from Bwari and were forcing the electoral officials in Jabi to accredit them and allow them to cast their votes.
He also said the electorate from Jabi also wanted to be accredited after the exercise had ended the previous day.
“They wanted to be accredited but the rule is no accreditation, no voting because we have closed accreditation since yesterday.
“For the voting, there is no problem and its over as it ended at 2.30 p.m., which started by 9.00 a.m.,’’ he said.
A European Union Mission Observer, Ms Cecilia Kivney from Ireland, also told NAN that they were in Nigeria to observe the 2015 general elections.
She also said they have monitored the 2007 and the 2011 elections in the country.
“We are part of the EU stationed here in Nigeria for the 2015 general election.
“The EU have been invited by INEC to come and observe here in the same way as in 2007/2011 elections.
“Many of us were here from November to December for the primaries and the long term observers came in January.
“So I came in January. We were here till the postponement,’’ she said.
According to her, the main point for them is to see calm, fair, free and credible elections with people coming out to vote for their preferred candidates.
“The main point for us is to see calm, fair, free elections and it is great to see democracy in action, with people coming out to vote.
“And we are looking forward to the overall conclusion for all of our team,’’ she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment