By DADA AYOKHAI
The despicable role played by two high-ranking politicians of Edo North extraction during the conduct of the national assembly and presidential elections is yet to abate weeks after the election
Field reports obtained on election day had shown there were skirmishes and the invasion of the ward collation centers by some unidentified and sponsored thugs in some places.
Some INEC materials such as the Bimodal Voters Identification System (B- VAS), ballot papers, and other non-sensitive items were either scattered or carted away by the marauding thugs who were not only well-armed but also ready to beat up anyone who attempted to stand in their way.
T he most affected polling units were the ones at Azama Primary School, Jattu, Uzairue, Etsako West council as well as the Collation center for Ward 2, Igarra, Akoko Edo.
The polling unit at Azama Primary School in Jattu is where the state deputy governor is within the jurisdiction of Hon Shaibu .
The deputy governor , Philip shaibu had after voting on the election day retired to his country home to monitor the conduct of the election.
The news that the PDP was losing heavily to the candidate of the LP in the presidential while the APC senatorial candidates, Comrade Oshiomole and his House of Reps counterpart, Hon Danco, were having an edge in the national assembly election filtered into the public space,.
The unpalatable news saw alleged goons of the deputy governor swiftly move and disrupt the collation center but were not lucky enough as the results were already announced.
While the Jattu, Etsako West drama was playing itself out, a similar scene occurred at the Ward 2 collation center in Igarra, Akoko Edo local government, which was invaded by thugs said to be “Adjoto boys”. Hon kabiru Adjoto was the former Speaker of Edo state House of Assembly.
They shot sporadically and carted away the B- VAS and other INEC materials.
In the end, the results of Ward 2, which comprises Uffa and Uttua quarters, in Igarra municipality as well as that of the Akuku community, being the most affected in the melee, were outrightly canceled
Most observers are worried about the involvement of such high-ranking politicians, saying their clandestine attempt to undermine the process, using their squad of thugs to disrupt a democratic process is condemnable
Their conduct on Saturday, February 25, has continued to draw flak from many who presume they probably took such extreme steps to undermine the process
