Abule Egba Boils Over LG Election

Peace in Abule Egba area of Lagos State, South West Nigeria was again disrupted this morning when supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP protested the results of the council polls in Agbado Oke-Odo for the second day running.

This morning’s protest was violent as the youths took laws into their hands by barricading the Ekoro Road and some streets in the area.

The protesters were said to have arrived around 5.00 am before the police were alerted. They burnt several tyres at different points on the major highway and prevented motorists from using the road.

P.M.NEWS gathered that the protesters vandalised some vehicles and brutalised Lagosians, demanding that the results announced by the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC be upturned in favour of the PDP candidate, Otunba Busari Ayinde.

As the protesters caused traffic gridlock and created panic in the area, the police and soldiers were quickly deployed to the area to quell the riot and prevent loss of lives and property.

An Amoured Personnel Carrier, APC was stationed at the Ekoro Junction, the scene where the riot was more tense and where the protesters burnt several tyres.

Around 7:30 am, hundreds of policemen from Agbado Oke-Odo, Gowon Estate Divisions and the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, were mobilised to the scene of the protest while the rampaging youths fled when they sighted them.

Officers of the OP-MESSA, a joint military taskforce, were also deployed to the area to complement the efforts of the police to quell the riot.

At the council secretariat this morning, which was hijacked by the rampaging youths yesterday, hundreds of policemen took over the council and drove the protesters away.

As at 10.00 pm yesterday, the youths had mobilised at the council in order to strike this morning

Workers at the secretariat for the third day running have not reported for work as a result of the protest while the council gate remained shut.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Samuel Jinadu, said the situation was under control, adding that when the Police Command heard of the crisis, the Commissioner of Police, Yakubu Alkali , ordered that policemen should be drafted to the scene.

He said the police were now fully in control and that he could not tell if anyone had been arrested so far in connection with the violent protest.

As at the time of filing this report, a detachment of policemen was still patrolling the area to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

Meanwhile, PDP, Lagos State chapter, has announced that it would contest the result of the elections released by the State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, on Monday.

According to the party’s state Public Relations Officer, Comrade Taofeek Gani, “LASIEC Chairman, Justice Abdul-Fatai Adeyinka, retd, on Monday night announced that the ACN won in the 20 local government areas of the state and in 355 out of the 376 wards in the state. This is contrary to Sections 51(1)-(8) of the LASIEC LAW.

“The LASIEC Chairman, however, said that the PDP won in 18 wards with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) winning in two wards. The release of the result came 24 hours after the LASIEC returning Officer in Badagry Central announced the PDP as winner of the Chairmanship slot for the area,” he said.

Speaking on the decision of the party to head to court, the PDP state chairman, Chief Setonji Koshoedo said that LASIEC Chairman is not empowered legally to announce results.

“According to Section 51 and 52 of LASIEC Law, the Chairman of the Commission has no legal right to announce the results. Even if he has to announce, as a retired judge of Lagos State, the LASIEC Chairman, should not have announced different result when there are video coverage and documents of announcements of results by the returning officers of the commission,’’ he said.

Koshoedo said that the announced result was gross injustice, un-progressive, undemocratic and a slap on the faces of voters in Lagos.

“Our party won in at least four of the local government areas and in 125 wards and we have the results signed by LASIEC officials and ACN agents in the various polling units,’’ he said.

The PDP chairman however appealed to party supporters and members to remain calm, assuring that justice will prevail in the end.

According to Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Oban ikoro, “since LASIEC could act the way it did, any other body set up by the state over the election, especially the Local Government Election Tribunal, cannot give justice.

“The party’s decision prevails. To go through the due process of the tribunal set up by the state in the end we will go through any other processes legally available for us to explore until justice is served,’’ he said.

The Ambassador decried the violence that trailed the election in Ikoyi -Obalande ward where he alleged that he was shot at with his son who was the PDP chairmanship candidate for the council area.

“You can confirm with the police in the area. They retrieved two short guns and some bullets used by the assailants to attack us,’’ he said.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga & Jamiu Yisa