The Police in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, have thwarted what may pass as last-minute moves by some politicians to rig Saturday’s National Assembly election in the state as they arrested a man, Ihesie Chubuike, with 25, 906 suspected fake INEC Form EC 50 U.



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The forms were to be used for the House of Representatives election.

Daily Sun gathered that police from Ndiegoro station were on routine patrol over the weekend when they stopped a tricycle, popularly known as Keke NAPEP, with registration number QH 423 SSM, loaded with several cartons of what looked like ordinary envelopes.

When the operator of the tricycle, one Arisa Kalu, was accosted, he said the consignment was contracted to him by Chibuike to be transported to Ohanku town in Ukwa East Local Government Area. As he could not give any satisfactory answer, the police promptly arrested him.

A close police source hinted that after the initial arrest was made, the Divisional Police Officer for Ndiegoro Station, Mr. Joshua Bakyu, directed his men to visit the place where the materials were loaded perhaps to get more clues about the fake forms.

This paid off as on getting to 186, Cameroon Road where Chibuike resides, the police recovered over 300 more cartons of the fake INEC Form EC 50 U neatly stored in a warehouse and awaiting distribution.

From the warehouse, police were able to get information that the materials were being printed at No. 21 Onwuzurike Street in Aba. Men of the Ndiegoro police station stormed the printing house where another 200 cartons of the said fake INEC Form 50 U where also recovered.

The police arrested Ihesie, the man who gave out the job; the tricycle operator, Kalu, and three printers, who were actually involved in the printing of the suspected fake materials.

Our source further hinted that a letter with reference number INEC/LOG/TRS/S.341/vol. 1, dated December 22, 2010, purportedly written and signed by INEC secretary, Alhaji Abdulahi A. Kaugama, and believed to be fake was also found on Ihesie. The said contract letter was addressed to the Managing Director, M/S First Pacific Ltd., Bechar Street zone 2 Wuse, Abuja.

The letter read in part: “I am pleased to inform you that the commission has approved the award of contract to your firm as stated hereunder: printing of 25,906 pieces of INEC Form EC 50 U at N80 per unit, totaling N2,072,480. Liaise with the director, logistics and transport, for other specifications.”

The prime suspect, Ihesie is presently telling the police all he knows about the suspected fake INEC forms. He was quoted as saying it was the Managing Director of M/S First Pacific, whose name he claimed not to know and who had traveled abroad, that instructed him to print the materials.

On why he was taking the forms to Ohanku town in Ukwa East Local Government Area before they were intercepted by the police, the prime suspect also explained it was the M/S First Pacific boss that asked him to send the forms to the area from where, after sorting out that of Abia State, the rest would be distributed to Imo, Niger, Enugu, Anambra, Kano and Katsina States.

Daily Sun investigations revealed that since the arrest of the suspects, chieftains of a very popular political party in the country had been making frantic efforts to get the prime suspect in particular who they claimed to be one of theirs, released.

When our correspondent visited the Ndiegoro police station, the DPO refused to speak on the issue but rather directed him to the commissioner of police at Umuahia. But several calls made to number, which was given as that of the Abia police boss, was unsuccessful as the line could not connect.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that the suspects together with the recovered suspected fake INEC forms had been transferred to the headquarters of the state police command for further investigations and possible prosecution.

Speaking over the incident, the member, representing Aba North and South in the House of Representatives and PPA candidate for the House of Representatives in Saturday’s National Assembly election, Chief Nnanna Uzor Kalu, condemned the move by some people to rig the election.

He said it was unfortunate that while President Goodluck Jonathan and the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, were advocating free and fair elections next month, candidates, who had nothing to offer their people, were hell-bent on rigging the election.

While calling for free polls on Saturday and subsequent elections, the house of Reps member called on security agencies for full scale investigation into the matter and possible prosecution of the offenders so as to restore peoples’ confidence in the election.



http://odili.net/news/source/2011/mar/29/504.html

Lol

What has this idiotic thread got to do with culture section?.

Igbo kwenu!

Andre Uweh:

What has this idiotic thread got to do with culture section?.

Mistake oh!
Belongs in politics and well. . . .culture will do for now until the mods move it.