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Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos state, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has condemned what he called “the massive violence” unleashed on the party’s supporters in many parts of the state during the Saturday, February 25, 2023 elections.
He said supporters of the party were attacked in Ikate, Surulere, Sangotedo, Aguda, Oshodi among others.
Rhodes-Vivour alleged that the ruling party orchestrated violence in most areas seen as the stronghold of the party in the presidential and national assembly poll.
“We are disturbed by the reporting we are getting about the attacks on our supporters in Ikate, Sangotedo, Aguda, Oshodi, Osolo among others. This is sad for democracy. Ballot boxes were snatched, voters threatened and beaten. We saw the video where a thug was asking those not voting for APC in Surulere to leave the queue if they don’t want to be beaten,” he said.
The former Lagos West senatorial candidate, who expressed satisfaction about the performance of the party in most polling units in the state, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to upload results on their portal as promised.
“I must commend Lagosians for their determination and doggedness to withstand the intimidation. However, I am shocked that INEC is yet to open their portal for the uploading of presidential results. The results were supposed to have been uploaded on the portal after declaration at the polling units but I am shocked that till now, the portal is closed. They said they are having network challenges but results of Senatorial and House of Representatives are available,” he said.
It would be recalled that the voting process which started on a peaceful note in the state later turned violent after armed thugs invaded some polling centres in the state.
The armed thugs who besieged areas in Oshodi, Itire, Aguda, Surulere and Badagry also set ablaze some ballot papers and boxes in the areas.
The thugs also injured some officials of INEC before carting away ballot boxes containing already thumb-printed ballot papers.
Though security men later restored normalcy to some of the crisis areas, palpable tension still hovers around the affected places.