Rose Ejembi, Benue
Four persons have been arrested by security agencies for various electoral offences during the supplementary election held in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State last Saturday.
One of the culprits, a pastor’s wife (names withheld), was arrested for impersonation by attempting to vote with someone else’s Permanent Voters Card (PVC).
Asked how she got the PVC, she said that it was given to her by one of her friends who told her to go and cast her vote but claimed she never knew that it was a criminal offence to use another person’s voter card to vote.
Confirming the report, the state police commissioner, Garba Mukkadas, said four persons were arrested in possession of PVC belonging to someone in an attempt to cast vote with it.
CP Mukkadas who was on ground to inspect the two polling units told reporters that the suspects are now in police custody for further investigation.
The CP said if found wanting, the suspects would be charged to court for an act which contravenes electoral laws.
Meanwhile, the supplementary election held in two registered areas of Agadagba and Oyangede Oicho in two different polling units following the cancellation of the March 9, 2019 election on the grounds of the principle of the margin of lead.
It would be recalled that on November 8, 2019, the appeal court sitting in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, sacked the PDP’s Chris Adaji who was the deputy speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly and ordered a supplementary election in two polling units.
Musa Alechenu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had filed an appeal against Adaji on the grounds that the election was rigged in Adaji’s favour.
At the time of filing this report, the results were still been collated at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation centre at Idekpa in Ohimini LGA but it is learnt that Chris Adaji was in an early lead.