Despite tears and anguish by sympathisers and family members over the killing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) women leader in Kogi and two policemen, among others in Bayelsa, Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello, has said that reported violence was not enough to discredit the result of the election.

DAILY ASSET gathered that two policemen were shot dead by unknown gunmen yesterday, along Otuogidi community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa state.

While one of the policemen died in the hospital, a staff with the state broadcasting corporation, Simon Onu, was among those ambushed and shot dead by stray bullets of political thugs in the state.

The hoodlums carted away the riffles of their victims creating apprehension in the state few days to the Saturday governorship election.

The attack, according to report, occurred at a checkpoint close to the Bayelsa State College of Health Technology located in Ogbia. 

Earlier, Onu was killed by suspected political thugs at a rally ahead of the state’s governorship election.

Witnesses said scores of people, mostly supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, were injured in the attack. They said the thugs were loyal to the All Progressives Congress.

In Kogi state, before the killing of the PDP Women Leader, Wada/ Aro Campaign Council, Ochadamu Ward, Mrs. Acheju Abuh, no fewer than six persons had been reportedly killed before, during and after the election.

She was reportedly burnt to dead in her home by suspected political thugs, who barricaded the entrance of her residence, poured fuel on the house, locked it up set the compound ablaze. 

According to reports, the thugs, who were shooting sporadically, arrived Hon Mrs. Abuh’s house at about 2pm, “surrounded the house, blocking every exit and escape routes from outside”.

“They then sprayed  the building with petrol and set it ablaze as terrified villagers watched from afar.

Our Correspondent gathered from eyewitnesses that she reportedly attempted to escape through a window, but was prevented by the metal burglary proof and gun shots with bullets raining in her direction.

“The blood thirsty thugs waited, shooting and watching with relish while Mrs. Abuh cried from inside the inferno until her voice died out”, eyewitnesses said.

They reportedly left only when the entire house and Mrs. Abuh had been burnt to ashes.

The Kogi state police command confirmed the incident through its Public Relations Officer, DSP William Aya.

Aya in a statement titled: “Culpable homicide/mischief by fire ” issued later stated: “On 18/11/2019 at about 16.30hrs, one Musa Ety of Ochadamu, Ofu LGA reported at the Station that, at about 1030 of same date, there was a misunderstanding between one Awolu Zekeri, aged 35 and member of APC and one Gowon Simeon, a member of PDP both of Ochadamu.  In the process, Gowon Simeon stabbed Awolu Zekeri with a knife on his lap, he died on his way to the Hospital.

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” As a result, angry Youths in the area mobilized to the house of one Simeon Abuh of same address who is an uncle to the suspect, set it ablaze, thereby burnt one Salome Abuh, aged 60 years”.
The police confirmed that three other houses were equally burnt in the process.

Aya said that the corpse has been moved to the University Teaching Hospital Mortuary Anyigba for autopsy and disclosed that the Police Mobile Force and Police Special Forces have been drafted to the area to prevent any breakdown of law and order while investigation was ongoing.

Deaths Not Enough to Discredit Election – Bello

Meanwhile, Bello yesterday said the just-concluded governorship election in the state was free and fair despite damning reports to the contrary by election observers.

Bello who spoke during an interview on Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, accepted that there was violence during the election, but said it was not enough to discredit the poll.

 “In every election, there is bound to be one issue or the other and you can’t take a pocket of issues to judge the general conduct of the election.

“Regarding the comments of the civil society organisations, they are entitled to their own opinions but let us know the parameters with which they are judging this election.

“How many polling units did they visit out of 2,548 polling units, 239 wards and 21 local governments across the difficult terrains of this state? How many people have they reached out to?

“Have they interviewed all the electorate? So, what are their yardsticks?” he said.

One of the observers, the Diplomatic Watch, had raised the alarm at the reports of fatalities and missing people during the Kogi election and urged stakeholders to be calmed.

“We express our alarm at reports of widespread incidents of violence and intimidation, some of which were witnessed by our teams in Kogi. There are reports of fatalities and people missing, including INEC staff. Our thoughts are with all victims and their families,” their statement read in part.

Another observer group, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA Africa), had called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in Kogi state following reported cases of “violence, vote-buying, and manipulation of voters”.

YIAGA said “the elections in the state did not reflect the preferences of voters because they were not given genuine opportunity to exercise their right to vote”.

The Centre for Democracy and Development, (CDD), said 10 deaths and 129 cases of violence and electoral crimes were recorded in the polls in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

Poor Conduct Abates Violence – Observer Group

A non-governmental organisation, CLEEN Foundation, also gave reasons security personnel could not stop violence in the two states, where elections were held.

The Executive Director of the foundation, Benson Olugbuo, stated this in a report on the conduct of security personnel deployed for election duty in the states.

The group, which deployed 61 observers to both states for the elections, in its report said the poor conduct of security personnel explained why there was no resistance to political thugs who were shooting and snatching ballot boxes in both states.

“CLEEN Foundation, an accredited observer, noted that most of the security personnel did not use force at anyone in the polling units observed. This explains the situation of no resistance by political thugs in shooting and snatching ballot boxes in Bayelsa and Kogi states respectively.

“The security personnel were unable to manage or prevent thugs and men in security uniforms in Kogi state especially from disrupting elections and carting away voting materials.”