Over 100 Electorates Protest For Burning, Snatching Of Ballot Box In Ebonyi

By Adaeze Onuora , Abakaliki

Over 100 Electorates protested over the burning of electoral materials such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine and other sensitive materials in Omege ward, Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

The protesters alleged that  materials that were meant for the polling unit were destroyed by suspected sponsored by the State Government, against their right to vote for their preferred Candidate.

In Omege and Ekka communities also in Ezza North local government area, where the ballot box snatching was recorded according to reports

Meanwhile Omega ward is the polling unit of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Gubernatorial candidate in the State, Professor Ifeanyi Bernard Odoh 

Someone who spoke anonymously said

unknown person who came to the polling unit shot sporadically and injured three people who are currently at the hospital and destroyed the BVAS machine.

Mr. Nwafor Benjamin, an APGA ward agent for the ward said it was an unfortunate situation as it has deprived the people of the right to Vote.

“What happened here is very unfortunate and it has never happened in Omege ward before, our youths and the civil defense men accompanied the materials from the local government to the polling unit.

“On reaching here, people were waiting for INEC to bring out the materials, unknown to us, some Ebubeagu people came down from a bike with pump action and started shooting and injured three people.

“One of them rushed to where INEC officials kept the materials and brought out sensitive items like the BVAS and register and started shooting to scare people away before burning the BVAS”. he said.