Kunle Adelabu, Jare Babatunde & Mariam Akinloye
Despite the general perception that the May 29 primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in lkorodu for the forthcoming local government election, was peaceful, some of the voting centres were distrupted across the division by thugs who attempted to hijack the process.
Though, there were heavy presence of security men for the process across the division.
Many of the affected centres started very well until the process was disrupted by thugs, especially in some parts of Ikorodu West, Igbogbo/Bayeku and Ikorodu North LCDAs as well as Ikorodu Local Government.
There were also allegations that voters’ registers were not provided in some centres and also that fake membership cards were also used freely.
Ikorodu West LCDA
The primary elections, which was reportedly peaceful but started late at Ward A in Ipakodo, was violently distrupted when some guys, believed to be thugs, started throwing sand, stones and other dangerous objects at 4.49pm at voters who were on the queue taking their turns to exercise their civic rights.
The whole thing started when some of the thugs attempted carting away ballot boxes but they were quickly chased away by the police officers who were on ground.
The Ward Chairman had hectic time resolving issues and appealing to many boys not to disrupt the process.
The security agents resorted to shooting into the air when the thugs continued throwing dangerous objects at them and voters.
The violence made the party members to run for cover while the police officers secured the ballot boxes which were taken away in police van under heavy security guard while the aspirants’ agents were allowed to follow the police van.
We gathered that one of the leading Chairmanship aspirants, Prince Gbenga Oyebola Ologijo, and Councilorship aspirants voted at the LG Primary School, Ipakodo, venue for Ward A primary election.
The process, our reporter gathered, was also disrupted around 2.00pm at Majidun, also in Ikorodu West LCDA.
Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA
In Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, it was gathered that the exercise started peacefully across the five Wards, until trouble broke out at the Methodist Primary School along Oba Molaja Road, where the Ward C1 primary election was held.
Our reporter, on returning to the centre around 4.00pm, gathered that the disruption started when some guys allegedly started protesting and throwing dangerous objects around. One of them was allegedly arrested for trying to disrupt the exercise.
Some of the party members were also reported to have complained about the voters’ register.
The police, led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ikorodu Divisional Police Headquarters, Mr Balogun, was reportedly forced to shoot into the air to scare away the thugs but surprisingly, it was gathered that the gun shots were fired by the thugs.
While some of the thugs were reportedly arrested, the voting process was said to have been stalled.
At the Ward C2 centre, trouble started when electoral officials arrived at the centre around 9.00am and there protests over voters’ register and allegations of fake party cards used by those that are not members of the Ward.
The situation later degenerated which also staled the process.
The police officers that were stationed at the centre were later joined by the DPO, Ikorodu Divisional Headquarters, Mr Balogun, and his team to restored normalcy.
Some of the party members at the venue said that the DPO sent an officer away for interfering in the electoral process which is against the directive given to him.
It was alleged by many APC members that voters were imported from other Wards to vote at the centre.
The process was eventually halted around 1pm while a local security chieftain allegedly carted away the ballot boxes.
The incumbent Chairman of the council, Builder Sesan Daini was the only Chairmanship aspirantstanding in for election in the Council.
Ikorodu North LCDA
In Ikorodu North LCDA, it was alleged that there was violence everywhere except in Agbala Ward E3 where voting was allowed to hold and counted due to the heavy presence of security personnel.
It was also gathered that one Bosun Ogunde and Hon. Mathew Adesanya won the Councillorship and Chairmanship primary elections respectively at the Ward .
At Ward B3, Isiwu in Ikorodu North LCDA, trouble was said to have started when the names of two Councilorship aspirants-Ige Bamidele Oluwaseun and Bukola Kayode Okuyiga, were allegedly not on the list of names of aspirants cleared to contest.
Electoral officials arrived around 11.30pm at the centre.
Some sources said that it was the supporters that caused the disruption, while others said that the electoral officials later agreed to include the names of the two aspirants on the list and that some thugs later came to disrupt the process when accreditation and voting process started.
It was further gathered that all the names of the Chairmanship aspirants, including that of the cleared two Councilorship aspirants – Opeyemi Taiwo and Ayo Abiodun Adekoya, were found on the cleared list.
According to reports, the process was disrupted around 1.00pm and the incident made the electorate to flee the centre.
At Olorunda centre for Ward E4, it was gathered that there was no electoral official on ground while voting process did not take place.
At Odogunyan area, the base of one of the Chairmanship aspirants, Hon. Mathew Adesanya, voting was said to be going on when thugs hijacked the process and carted away the ballot boxes.
It was also gathered that voting did not take place at Erikorodo where two Chairmanship aspirants – Hon. Adeola Banjo and Prince Adedoyin Ogunbiyi Jokotex, were supposed to cast their votes.
Many of the party members were said to have been injured while trying to escape when the centre was invaded by thugs.
It was also reported that there were sporadic gun shots by thugs that hijacked the voting process across the council.
Ikorodu Local Government
Although, accreditation and voting started late at Anglican Primary School, Ijomu, Ikorodu Central Mosque Praying Ground, along Awolowo Way and Etunrenren Primary School, venues for Ward E, Ward F and Ward B primary elections, but the process was peaceful when it later commenced.
It was gathered that electoral officials were also late to other centres in Ikorodu LG.
In all these centres, there were massive turnouts of party members and adequate security officers. But our reporter later gathered that the process witnessed pockets of violence disruptions in some centres later into the voting exercise.
Imota LCDA
The violence that that took place in lmota LCDA prior to the primary election, especially the gruesome murder of the Deputy Leader of the Council’s Legislative Arm, Hon. Tope Ishola, made the council a red spot going into the election, but fortunately, the council recorded a peaceful process as multiple sources informed our reporter that the Councilorship and the Chairmanship elections went well.
It was alleged that there was no accreditation in some centres.
The incumbent Chairman, Hon. Wasiu Agoro, is the sole APC Chairmanship aspirant contesting for re – election.
Ijede LCDA
As at 12.00pm, the report from multiple sources in Ijede LCDA was that there was no election, but it was gathered that election later took place.
It was also gathered that the incumbent Chairman, Hon. Fathiu Salisu stepped down early Saturday morning from re – contesting and threw his weight behind his incumbent Vice Chairman, Hon. Gbadebo – Alogba who is also vying for the Chairmanship position.
