THIS is muse on the goose House of Assembly Elections that took place in Nigeria- on Saturday the 18th of March ,2023.It was like the movie Wild Wild West, starring Penelope Cruz and Wills Smith .
In Benin City , Edo State of Nigeria , it was deluge of snatching of one ballot box to another .From the Polling Unit by Ekpenede Junction by ICC Junction, Oredo Ward 11, Benin City , to the Polling Unit behind prime Petrol Station , to Iguodala Primary School in Oredo Ward 1q, Benin City , Ogbe Quarters, Oredo Ward , Benin City , Garrick Memorial School, Oredo Ward , Benin City on Ekenwan Road , just to mention a few , it was armed boys driving in buses and cars , opening the ballot papers and sorting out votes of two parties and carting them away and leaving a particular party behind.
The Pattern was similar to reduce the votes of two parties and increase the votes of one party , if the results are called or to cancel it out right .They achieved both in multiple Polling Units in Oredo , Benin City .
There weere cases of vote buying in the Benin Metropolis , Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State and else where .Some Security Vans were patrolling, but they some did responded to distress calls .Popular Activist -Chief Patrick Eholor -Ultimate Equal , was assaulted at one of the Collation Centres at Urokpota Hall Benin and according to reports the Police stationed there , were just watching. An investigation needs to be conducted into this incidence , to serve as a deterrence to others .
The DC OPS, Edo State Command-DC Miller Datawanye and his Team did well in responding personally to distress calls .It would have been far worse with out his intervention.
There were however cases of security breaches as the security corridor was violated severally .
I think we need a post-mortem. We need to find out what went wrong .
Those of you calling for State Police, Perish the Thought We even had some measure of sanity because we had a Federal Police .
In Lagos reports shows that the election was characterised by violence with the security corridor seen to feeble and malleable. There were cases of intimidation and harassment. There was even a bizzare case of Oro Festival alleged to have been held on election day , which violates our Laws and Guidelines .
In Delta State ,it was terror incorporated akin to a gangsters’ paradise .It was a case of the proverbial survival of the fittest. There was wide spread electoral violence and carting away of election materials.
Just a snippet of *the do or die election*. Forgive the Cliche.
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