Corper Reveals How He Was Cowed Into Submitting Ballot Papers For Massive Thumb-Printing
LAGOS FEBRUAY 25TH (NEWSRANGRS)-A member of the National Youth Service Corps, Ashimom Msuguhter, who also served as an ad hoc official of the Independent National Electoral Commission, has discredited the election that took place at his unit in Nasarawa State on Saturday.
Msuguhter said that out of 900 registered voters at the polling unit, the card readers were able to authenticate only 15 persons, while all the others voted without being accredited.
The corps member said in a Facebook post that he was forced to hand over ballot papers to persons who thumb-printed the papers for a particular party.
He said he regretted ever working for INEC, as his life was put in danger.
Msuguhter said, “This is the last time I’d be doing this bullsh** INEC ad-hoc nonsense.
“Having disenfranchised myself in the name of ad-hoc staff, I was almost thoroughly beaten. I was cowed into submitting the bulk of ballot papers for mass thumb-printing.
“Well, I filled the incident form and I hope the result would be cancelled.
“I’m just angry with everything, most especially for getting involved in the first place. No one forced me, actually.
“First, this card reader rubbish should be quashed in subsequent elections. The whole aim has been defeated.
“Out of about 900 registered voters in my unit, the card reader could authenticate only 15. The rest had to do manual accreditation, which opened more room for rigging. Quite sad!”
While calling on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to resign, the corps member said the election of Saturday was not as good as that of 2015, which was superintended by Prof. Attahiru Jega.
He said rural areas are known for rigging and this has continued to undermine Nigeria’s democracy.
The corps member said, “This Prof. Mahmood has to resign immediately after this elections and apologise to Nigerians. The extra one week he got did not prove anything different. In fact, he’s made Jega’s INEC much more coveted.
“As of 11am, we had not seen materials, the people were already agitated, thinking we were compromised… They started threatening to descend on us… Luckily, we escaped that.
“Because we reported late at the polling unit, we were forced to extend voting time till around 7.30pm.
“When it was dark, these people requested for the remaining ballot papers, that is the tradition of the polling unit not to return ballot papers to INEC… Before we knew it, the atmosphere became very tense.
“The short of it is that we allowed them to do their wish, but I pray the result is cancelled.
“The fact is, most of the rigging is done in the rural areas. There, there is no electoral law, anything goes… Party agents do the voting for people and you don’t dare talk.
“We must penetrate the grassroots if we must overcome this plague.
“I’m glad I returned safely.”
PUNCH
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Posted by News Rangers
on Feb 25 2019. Filed under National.
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