The collation centre for the presidential and National Assembly elections situated in the Jos North Local Government secretariat was invaded by thugs who attempted to scuttle the collation and announcement of the results on Monday, February 27, 2023.
Reinforcement of security personnel to the venue temporarily prevented the thugs from gaining access to the hall after forcefully entering the premises while sorting and collating for polling units from parts of the local government.
Trouble started after the announcement of results from Bassa and other parts of Jos North were declared by the returning officers but when it was the turn for the presentation of Tudun Wada wards; some party agents resolved to threats and demanded an end to the collation which was not supported by the returning officer.
Presiding officers for the three elections including officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and party agents were evacuated from the venue by security agents after about ten hours they were under siege.
Oliver Tersoo Agundu, the resident Electoral Commissioner in Plateau State, told journalists that the commission will take a look at the situation and come to a decision.
Labour Party Raises Alarm Over Failure Of INEC Officials To Upload Presidential Results
Julius Abure, the national chairman of the Labour Party, has raised alarm on the impunity that is presently happening across the entire Lagos state where the results of the presidential elections collated in various polling units in the state are not being uploaded to the Central Server.
In a statement issued on Saturday, February 25, 2022 by Mr Abure, the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in connivance with the security agencies are claiming that the BVAS have suddenly developed fault and, therefore, cannot function.
The chairman said that information from the party’s field men has it that in places like Agege, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Surulere, and Ibeju Lekki, amongst others where results shows that Labour Party won convincingly, the INEC officials claim that the BVAS suddenly developed fault when it concerns uploading results of the presidential election.
According to him, “Information reaching me has it that in Lagos, they have refused to upload the results for the presidential election, they have uploaded that of the Senate and House of Representatives but for the presidential, they have refused. And they are using the police to drive our agents and supporters out of the place. And they said that they have firm instruction from INEC headquarters not to upload.
“For example, in Kosofe, they put the collation centre in a Local Government Area Headquarters. The place is sorrounded by APC and people are afraid of their life. They are not uploading, they said that they have been giving instruction to insist that the BVAS is faulty. And most of the places we won, but they have refused to upload.
“As I speak, APC officials are in Yaba office of INEC negotiating with the officials. What I have said now is happening in Agege, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Surulere, we have this situation all over. In Ibeju Lekki, our local government chairman who attempted to stop them was arrested by the police.”
Abure said that similar situation is playing out across the collation centres in Delta state.
He however called on INEC to ensure that only genuine and verifiable results generated from the various polling units should be uploaded.
He also called on the police to help this democracy to work and should resist the lure by the politicians to mar the gains of democracy by refusing to be used to deny Nigerians their choice of leaders.
Source: ChannelsTV
