From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
It was a bedlam yesterday as the re-run polls for Isu State Constituency in Imo State came to an abrupt end as hired thugs stormed the polling centres across the affected wards with armed police, army and the state government outfit, Ebubeagu, and chased away voters, carted away electoral materials and abducted scores of electoral officials.
This reporter who monitored the Isu State Constituency re- run polls said that as early as 8:30a.m eligible voters who had already trooped to cast their votes for their preferred candidate at Community School booth 005 in Amurie Omanze were chased away by armed police, thugs and Ebubeagu members allegedly led by a certain state government official.
The armed security personnel, including members of the Ebubeagu who arrived at the polling booth with over 20 Hilux vans and armoured vehicles started shooting sporadically in the air as voters, including the unarmed police personnel who were on election duty at the polling booth, scampered for safety.
The security agents hijacked the electoral materials and abducted scores of the electoral officials and zoomed off.
The polling units were the security agents made away with the electoral materials are Polling Units Amagadi booth 002 Amurie Omanze ward 1, booth 005 Amurie Omanze ward 1, Community School, Amurie Omanze, booth 003 Diakuzuruahu square, Amurie Omanze ward 1, Umuarusi hall booth 003, and Amandugba ward 1.
The security agents in collaboration with the Ebubeagu also attacked and injured so many people, destroyed their phones for trying to take pictures of their members and their destructive activities.
Some of the distraught voters who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged a government official was issuing orders to the security agents.
They, therefore, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the re-run state assembly polls, saying that no election took place in the area.
Also speaking, the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Collins Oprurozor, condemned the mayhem allegedly perpetrated by the APC-led administration, calling on INEC to declare the PDP candidate, Hon. Modestus Abazie Osakwe winner of the election to save democracy in Imo State.
However, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, dismissed the allegation that an official of the government led the thugs to disrupt the elections.
It could be recalled that the re-run election in Isu LGA took place in some polling units where election was cancelled on March 18, 2023 House of Assembly election in Imo State due to obvious irregularities.