Some residents have condemned the external forces invasion into Ikate-Elegushi community to disrupt electoral activities at the polling unit during the just concluded Presidential and NASS general elections.
The residents expressed their dismayed during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Tuesday, in Lagos.
A resident of Ikate-Eleguishi, Adewale Bakare has reacted and expressed his dissatisfaction at the disruption of voting exercise at the polling unit outside Oba Eleguishi palace on Saturday at Ikate area of Eti-Osa, Lekki, Lagos state.
He lamented at external foeces unleashing mayhem and intimidating voters at the polling unit denying them their voting right.
Bakare said that the residents of Ikate-Eleguishi are peaceful loving people, and law-abiding citizens but were being humiliated by external forces with the aid of security personnel during the just concluded presidential and NASS election.
“Government security agencies are meant to secure voters and not to intimidate or humiliate the citizens while casting their votes.
“The Labour Party(LP) supporters influence the security agencies to annihilate, humiliate and intimidate residents thereby denying them their voting right.
“The Obedient supporters took over the voting units casting votes for their presidential candidate, Peter Obi till 10:00p.m in the night on Saturday.
“This is injustice of the highest order and must be corrected by the government, ” he said.
Bakare added that a lot of strange faces stormed the Ikate area to engage in electoral fraud under the guise of obtaining voter transfer from the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
According to him, residents of Eleguishi never had it bad like this in the history of elections in the community.
He said that residents of Ikate community do exercise their electoral franchise peacefully in the recent past but this year’s elections is frightening, alarming and terrifying.
He added that the Obidient boys coincide with the Nigerian Army to threaten residents with guns and heavy ammunitions within the community.
“Obedient followers do point at residents and voters to the Nigerian Army, thereby chasing APC members from voting at the polling unit.
“The obedient followers took over the polling unit and voted till 10:00p.m on Saturday, there is no justice, free, fair and credible elections at Ikate community on Saturday.
“The Nigerian Army work against the wish of the electorates by violating electoral laws, Obedient followers are using the Army to intimidate APC voters not to vote at the polling units, “he said.
Similarly, A youth leader and resident of Ikate, Mr Bisiriyu Sulaimon, said that the disruption that erupted at Ikate polling units was perpetrated by outsiders, people that are not eligible voters at the Ikate polling unit.
Sulaimon denied the allegation that the Ikate resident initiated the misconduct of electioneering process, It is Hell No! It was an external attack and forces on the residents.
“The ballot boxes were snatched and everybody ran away. External people were spotted hanging around the community exhibiting unruly acts.
“The vote outside the palace was scattered by presidential aspirant, Peter Obi(Obidient Boys). The ballot box was hijacked. They chased the presiding officer away.
“The electoral laws say that do not video voters at the voting box but some Obedient followers were seen violating the government law by videoing voters while voting.
“The voter contested such an act and instructed the video person to stop videoing him but did not oblige to his plea which led to chaos.
“This and many more were the ungodly attitudes displayed by Obedient followers in Ikate-Eleguishi by constituting nuisances and breaching electoral laws, ” he said.
Sulaimon urged the government to look inward at these unpalatable experiences and profound lasting solutions to this perennial electoral violation act. (NAN). (www.nannews.ng).
SIO
