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Sunday, April 10, 2011

ACN supporters celebrate in Ibadan!

Hundreds of broom-waving supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) took to the streets in some parts of Ibadan yesterday to celebrate the anticipated victory of their candidates in the rescheduled National Assembly elections. 

They admitted official results were still being awaited from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but said announcements by presiding officers in different wards of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state, showed the party was carrying the day.   

The supporters besieged Bode, Idi-Arere, Bere, Yemetu, Popoyemoja, Challenge, Felele, Mokola, Omitowoju, Oke-Padre and Adamasingba parts of the capital. 

Voters arrived polling centres from 8am for the arrival of electoral officers.  

The exercise was generally peaceful in different parts of the state, except in Iseyin local government where three suspected Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) thugs who attempted to disrupt voting in Sagbo/Ilado in ward 08 were shot dead.

Sources said the thugs storming the polling centre and shot sporadically to scare away the electorate. 

But some policemen reportedly chased and shot them in the ensuing gun-battle.

Oyo state Police Command spokesperson, Mr. Ajimuda Olatunji confirmed there was reported violence in the area but denied anybody was shot dead.

He said Police officers only arrested two persons in connection with the violence.

At Onipe village in Oluyole local government, a council boss allegedly used fake policemen to chase voters from polling centres. 

Source said the fake policemen made room for supporters of the council boss to vote after chasing away eligible voters. 

Party agents at ward 04 unit 3 and 4 in Gbodu area of Isale-Bode in Ibadan South local government called the attention of security forces to attempts by thugs to snatch ballot boxes. 

In Iresa-Adu near Ogbomoso, the Personal Assistant to a Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the House of Representatives was

caught with 50 voters cards, a pistol, 200 live catridges. 

The man, simply identified as Soji, was rounded up by a team of soldiers at about 8:00 am in the sleepy community and was handed over to the

police.

In Oyo, the chairman of a local government was also arrested with five supporters of PDP while thumb printing ballot papers at an unapproved

location in Fasola community outside Oyo town. 

They were apprehended about 12:50 pm with over 3,000 ballot papers.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, and his wife Florence, voted at Unit 20, Ward 11 of

Ibadan South West local government.  He observed turn-out of voters was low compared to last Saturday, attributing the development to seeming confusion over postponement of the election in many states.

Ajimobi lauded the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, for doing a better job.

He advised voters not to allow any politician to force himself on them.

Voters were vigilant and readily challenged strange faces. It was too apparent they were determined to thwart any attempt to rig the election.

In many units where voting finished early, many voters stayed behind to watch the ballot boxes.

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who voted at a unit inside his palace at 1:00 pm, described the election as peaceful.

He said INEC had improved in supply of materials and overcome logistic problems. 

"INEC has done a good job," he said

Source: Click link below»
http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/33336.html

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