Voting materials, including the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) and ballot papers, have been destroyed in Taraba State’s Akate ward in the Donga local government council.
Accreditation and voting, which were scheduled to begin around 8 a.m., were disrupted by hoodlums who attacked polling units located throughout the ward.
Though the hoodlums were said to have been repelled by security personnel, voters in the ward who exercised their right to vote in today’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections were disappointed.
Gunshots from heavily armed hoodlums rang out sporadically in the area, discouraging voters from casting ballots.
An Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ad-hoc staff member who spoke with our correspondent, vowed to withdraw from participating in the exercise, stating that “our security is not even guaranteed.”
Voting in the ward’s 29 polling units had been halted at the time of filing this report, as tension and apprehension had descended on the area and the council.
According to an eyewitness who spoke with our state correspondent, the hoodlums were able to complete their heinous act prior to the arrival of security personnel.
The eyewitness, identified as James Chimin, expressed disappointment that the much-touted security operative protection had proven to be a mirage.
Some electoral staff members agreed with Chimin, saying, “for the time being, we don’t see any election taking place in this ward.”
They urged the relevant authorities to intervene by providing all necessary security in polling stations throughout Donga and the state at large.
