Hoodlums Attack Plateau State INEC Collation Centre, Disrupt Election Results

Feb 28, 2023

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Thugs on Monday evening reportedly attacked the presidential and National Assembly elections collation centre of the Jos North Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State, chased away the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), thereby disrupting the elections process.

An official of the Jos North LGA who witnessed the disruption of the elections results announcement at the collation centre confirmed the incident to a local radio station, Jay FM, in Jos, the state capital.

The official was quoted as saying that “Trouble started when the party agents were asked to sign the results for the Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency as announced by the Returning Officer, Dr Nehemiah Sanda, which indicated that the PDP candidate, Musah Agah won the election with 59,337.

“However, the agent of the PRP candidate who scored the second highest number of votes with 58,460 rejected the results and insisted that no result sheets would be signed at the collation centre nor the winner be announced.

“As the INEC officials were trying to prevail on the party agent to allow them do their job, the thugs believed to be loyal to the PRP invaded the collation centre and chased the INEC officials away and prevented them from declaring the winners. We don’t know what the thugs could have done if not that a senior police officer DC Afebuamhe quickly came in and seized the election results.”

Also confirming the incident, the Returning Officer for the Presidential election for the Collation Centre, Dr Lazurus Maigoro, was quoted as saying, “Yes, it is true that thugs invaded our collation centre while we were doing our job. It is now up to the INEC to know what to do next.”

Before the thugs attacked the collation centre, it was gathered that they had earlier attacked a Collation Officer identified as Mrs Leritshimwa Amagon, while she was on her way to the Council Secretariat.

It was reported that Amagon who is the Collation Officer for Naraguta B Ward, in Jos North LGA was returning collated results for the National Assembly election when thugs attacked her on the way and snatched some of the recorded result sheets.