Robbers hijack election materials – Iwu
By Olusola Fabiyi and Tobi Soniyi, Abuja
Published: Thursday, 12 Apr 2007
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Maurice Iwu, on Wednesday, raised the alarm that three truck-load of election materials had been hijacked by armed robbers.



Iwu, who spoke at a meeting with the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, on how the police could provide security during the governorship election did not give details.

He, however, assured the nation that the theft would not affect the conduct of the election.

Iwu said it was the responsibility of the police to make sure that the elections were free and fair.

He added that without adequate security, all the preparations the commission had put in place would amount to nothing.

He said INEC needed the assistance of the police to enable it to move its equipment, materials and also provide security for its staff.

He said that election materials had already been moved to locations for the governorship and state House of Assembly election holding on Saturday.

He warned that the commission would not hesitate to cancel elections in states where violence occurred.

Iwu said, “Anywhere there is electoral violence, we will not blink in canceling that election. We believe that election did not hold in such places at all.”

Asked about the position of the commission on the dismissal of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume from the Peoples Democratic Party, Iwu said he would not dabble in what he called “intra-party squabbles.”

He added, “Our mandate is to conduct elections and we have concluded election process.”

Ehindero said that he had also received security reports that some politicians were already in possession of fake police uniforms.

He said the politicians gave the fake uniforms to their supporters in order to intimidate the opposition to keep them from the polling booths.

The IG, however, said he had detected means of identifying original policemen from fake.

He refused to state how he would detect fake uniforms for “security reasons.”

He said, “There is information that some groups are sewing fake police uniforms in order to confuse the public. I have called my men‘s attention to that. Well, I wish to tell those in that category to desist from doing that because the full weight of the law will be unleashed on them.

“Anyway, the force will design means to make it possible for us to identify fake policemen from the original. I can tell you authoritatively that we have measures in place to identify our own policemen.”

He also hinted that there could be fake vehicle number plates, bearing police identity.

The police boss assured the nation that the police were ready to provide security in all the polling booths during and after the election.

The IG said the police were battle-ready for the elections and would arrest trouble-makers.

Ehindero said, ”We are prepared to arrest thugs in all the states of the federation if that will guarantee free and fair elections. The police will not be partisan but we are ready to arrest any person who wants to disrupt the election.

“We will provide security in all the polling stations. We will prevent activities that will affect the elections negatively and we have mandated our officers to liaise with the INEC commissioners to provide security for election materials.”

The police boss warned religious fanatics to keep away from polling booths.

He said, “Police officers must be at the polling stations at 8am when presiding officers shall declare the polling stations open and at 3pm when voting closes officially. Any person that comes to the polling stations after 3pm shall not be allowed to vote.”

He debunked the insinuations in some quarters that the recent reshuffling of commissioners by the force was aimed at rigging the elections.

The IG said the postings were aimed at ensuring that elections were free and fair and devoid of violence.

He charged his officers to be proactive in handling elections and report any untoward activities in their areas of posting promptly.

For the elections, Ehindero said the police would make use of five helicopters, 1,800 motorcycles and 800 four wheel drive vehicles.

Rigging has started already! May God allow Nigerians to vote who the want!

Voter cards on sale in Delta
By Sola Adebayo
Published: Friday, 13 Apr 2007
Voter cards were on sale in Delta State on Thursday, just as the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Operation Restore Hope, deployed troops in suspected hotspots in the state.

Tension mounted in the state as political parties, especially the leading contenders, the Peoples Democratic Party, and Democratic Peoples Party, concluded their campaigns ahead of the general election, scheduled to commence on Saturday.

Findings by our correspondent in the state, especially in Efffurun, Warri, Ughelli and Sapele, revealed that some residents openly sold their voter cards to interested politicians.

The cards were on sale for between N4,000 and N5,000 each on the major streets in the aforementioned towns in the state.

It was learnt that the politicians enthusiastically embraced the offers, apparently to brighten their fortunes in the elections.

The act was prevalent among cyclists, popularly known as Okada riders and other less-privileged members of the society.

Meanwhile, the JTF on Thursday deployed troops in areas identified as crisis- prone, in line with a directive from the state’s Security Council.

It was gathered that the council at the end of an extraordinary session on the elections in Warri on Wednesday had directed all the service commanders in the state to keep troublemakers at bay and ensure a hitch-free conduct of the elections in the 25 local government areas in the state.

It was learnt that the recent security report, which listed the state among those prone to crisis during the elections, prompted the meeting. The meeting was held held at Governors Office Annex, Warri.

Although the meeting was held behind closed doors, our correspondent later learnt that the council reviewed the security situation in the state, particularly the report of arm build-up, ahead of the election.

Our correspondent gathered that the Commanding Officer of 93 Battalion, Effurun, Lt.-Col. Ali Kefi, carried out the order of the council on Thursday when he deployed troops in Abraka and other major towns in the state.

Abraka is the hometown of the governorship candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party, Chief Great Ogboru.

Soldiers dressed in combat regalia were sighted in Abraka by our correspondent in the early hours of Thursday.

The rigging has started in earnest first OBJ in Lagos then this

Police withdraw Tinubu’s ADC
By Olusola Fabiyi, Geoffrey Ekenna and Kemi Obasola
Published: Friday, 13 Apr 2007

LESS than 24 hours to the governorship and state House of Assembly elections, both the Aide-de-Camp and Chief Security Officer to the Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, were on Thursday withdrawn.
The Action Congress has also allegedly uncovered plans to abduct some of its key leaders.

A source told our correspondents in confidence that Tinubu’s ADC and the CSO were withdrawn without any notice to the governor.

The source said, “The governor did not lodge any complaint against the two police officers. We did not know why they were removed.

“We were only told that the security officers would report to the Force Headquarters in Abuja with immediate effect.”

As at press time, he said Tinubu was without security, apart from the normal sentry guards.

The source added, “The police are purposely making the governor vulnerable to attack. They are desperate to ensure victory for the Peoples Democratic Party, in Lagos but they will fail.”

The police, on Thursday, however, debunked insinuations that it withdrew the security aides to Tinubu in order to enable any rival political party to win the governorship election in the state.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Haz Iwendi, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the telephone, said the ADC and CSO to the governor were invited to the Force Headquarters, Abuja by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, for briefing.

He did not state what the briefing was about.

He said, “It is not true that they were withdrawn. They were only invited by the IG, who is their boss, for briefing.”

Asked when the officers would be returning to their duty post, he said they had not been seen by Ehindero, who he said was not around on Thursday.

He said, ”They are still in Abuja as they have not seen their boss. They are policemen who were posted to the place by the police authorities.”

When asked whether it was proper for a governor to remain without security aides at this critical period, he said, “I don‘t know.”

“Is it a crime for the boss to ask that people working with him to come and see him? Are you saying those gentlemen are no longer policemen?” he said.

On the rumours that the police were working with a rival political party to rig the election in the state, he said no. He added that the police would “remain neutral in the election.”

Meanwhile, the AC has allegedly uncovered plans by the PDP to abduct some of its leaders in the state.

A source in the AC said the party had obtained a document on PDP’s plans to intimidate its leaders and rig the governorship and House of Assembly elections.

Excerpts from the document, made available to our correspondents on Thursday, read, “Some notable AC members in the state must be abducted till after election in April 2007.

“Efforts should be made by the security committee (PDP’s) in each local government to foment chaos in collaboration with the Oodua People’s Congress and the police at any polling booth where the AC is noticed to be leading.

“Arrangements to foment chaos should now be put in top gear so that a state of emergency will be declared in Lagos State.

“All security agents of Tinubu are to be replaced immediately.”

The document identified some AC leaders on the watch list as the state chairman of the party, Mr. Dele Ajomale; Denrele Ogunsanya; Olorunnimbe Mamowora; Mrs. Abike Dabiri; and W.O. Kassimi, among others.

Titled, “Parties’ rating in Lagos State and way forward for PDP in the coming general election in April 2007,” the document recommended that efforts should be made to go into alliance with other parties to defeat the AC.

The Lagos State chapter of the PDP was also advised to give N10billion, out of the N45billion earmarked to capture the state, to its branches in the 20 local government areas in the state to win the governorship election in the state.