Segun Agbaje, resident electoral
commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun
state, has clarified the controversy surrounding the election result of
Ayedaade local government area in the governorship election.
One Mutiu Salawu, an official of
the commission, had been assaulted by a mob for allegedly tearing election
result at St. Patrick Grammar School, Gbongan.
In a video which went viral,
Salawu was heard saying a senior official of the commission asked him to tear
the sheet.
This sparked a controversy, while
some activists and groups asked INEC to prosecute those involved in the act.
But at a press conference on
Tuesday, Agbaje said the sheet which was torn had an erroneous result and that
the electoral official was acting on a directive to replace it with the correct
one when he was attacked.
He said the local government
security chief had informed Aderinoye Olukemi, electoral officer for Ayedaade,
of the error on the form pasted at the collation centre and that she handed
down the instruction afterwards.
“The Commission wishes to put the
record straight in respect of the issues that have gone viral on the conduct of
one of our staff, Mutiu Salawu, in Ayedaade LGA on Sunday 23′ September 2018 at
the St. Patrick Grammar School Gbongan around 8am after the submission of
Results of the Election by the Ayedaade Local Government Collation Officer at
the State Collation Centre,” he said.
“The Electoral Officer for
Ayedaade LGA Mrs. Aderinoye Olukemi Alice, on the information she received from
the Local Government Security Chief (LGSC), that there was an error on the Form
EC 60 (E) INEC PUBLICATION OF RESULT OF POLL Poster, pasted at the Local
Government Collation Centre i.e St. Patrick Grammar School Gbongan, and after
crosschecking the results sheet for the collation EC 8C to confirm the
information, called her staff Mutiu Salawu, to remove the pasted EC 60 (E)
poster with error and replace it with a correct one.
“Mr. Mutiu Salawu being a dutiful
staff went to carry out the lawful instruction of his boss when he was accosted
by a mob that rough handled him before they took him to Adelani Rafiu Oyediran
Ajanaku’s house along the New Gbongan Osogbo Road. There he was humiliated,
harassed and subjected to take manipulated photographs that were sent to
various social digital platforms. He was then brought to the INEC State Office
where he was harassed by some section of the media.”
Agbaje said the action of Salawu
did not affect the result collated at the INEC head office, affirming that Dele
Adeleke, agent of the PDP at the state collation center, attested to the fact
that the result announced tallied with what he recorded ahead of the announcement.
“Let me at this juncture put the
record straight and inform the good people of Osun State and Nigerians, the
correct position of the event,” he said.
“The LGA Collation Officer Prof.
Adeagbo accepted the fact that there was an error in the EC 60 (E) pasted at
the LGA Collation Centre especially the figure (10,836) recorded for PDP on the
poster which is different from the actual votes scored (9,836) by the PDP.
“It should be noted that the INEC
staff, Salawu, Mutiu Kolawole did not destroy the Result Sheet for the said
election for they are intact in the custody of the Commission and copies of
same are with agents of the 48 Political Parties that contested the
Governorship Election.
“The Commission is displeased
with the conduct of a section of the press that repeatedly broadcast the event
maliciously without proper investigation to know the true position of things.
This attitude has misinformed the public and INEC has been misrepresented in
the narrative.”
Agbaje also went into details on
the polling units where the rerun election would hold on Thursday.
“In Adereti Village, there was
disruption of election by hoodlums who shot sporadically and in the process of
scampering for safety, the Presiding Officer misplaced the form EC8A for the PU
and all efforts to get it proved abortive,” he said.
“Ife South Osi Ward 8 PU10, Aluti
Erin Primary School, Albert village, election was conducted with manual
accreditation.
“In Orolu Ward 08 PU001, Kajola
village, there was hijacking of materials by thugs. The case was not different
in Ward 08 PU004 Idi Iya village and Ward 09 PU 003 Gbogbo Primary School in
Orolu. Presiding Officer absconded in Osogbo Ataoja Ward 05 PU 017 Adewole
Street.
“The total number of registered
voters in these places is 3,498,” the resident electoral commissioner stated.
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