Voting process on Saturday February 25, 2023 came to a halt when an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) adhoc staff was beaten for allegedly thumb printing the ballot at the PU 009 located at the LEA primary school Lugbe Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The polling is located in a voting centre with thousands of voters.
Trouble started when prospective voters who after waiting for so long to cast their votes sighted an INEC official doing the unthinkable.
Blueprint correspondent who monitored election at the area said INEC officials brought voting materials to the poling Unit at about 11 am.
Blueprint can also report that voting did not start at the Poling unit until around 12 pm. Voting were going on smoothly until around 3:45pm when the crisis commenced.
It was also gathered that the INEC officials refused advised by the Lugbe divisional police officer to allow acredictation and voting to go simontenously.
The police officer was seen warning the INEC official, about the danger of delaying the process as the voters were agitating.
It was not long that the angry voters who alleged that it was a ploy to disfranchise them decended on the INEC staff, and beat him up.
A police officer, Gambo Moses, who was trying to ensure the situation didn’t get out of hand was attacked by the mob.
The situation came under control when there was a reinforcement by the security personnel.
Meanwhile, on PU 077, 075, 083, and other poling units all in Lugbe area of FCT visited by our correspondent, the processes was reportedly.
(Blueprint)