Except there is an intervention to set free those allegedly involved in election malpractices in the just conducted Governorship election, the trio of Uche Onyeagocha, Steve Asimobi and Paschal Onwukaike, Party agents at the Imo State Governorship election collation centre at INEC office risks jail term, Trumpeta can report.
A major crisis broke out at the collation centre early Monday morning when three different party agents allegedly tore result sheets of the governorship candidates when the Returning Officer and Resident Electoral Officer were supretending announcement of results.
Our reporters on ground disclosed that when it was the turn of Ideato South to be announced, the PDP candidate, Onyeagocha, a lawyer and former Reps member challenged the contents adding that he had already complained about the irregularities perpetuated in the area where he accused the state governor of masterminding the chasing out of other party agents from the venue of the collation centre, at Ideato South.
As the argument persisted, the PDP agent allegedly grabbed the result sheet for Ideato South and tore it before Onwukaike, working for one unknown party but suspected to be AA, as well as Asimobi, all lawyers too went for the main result sheet used for the entire collation. They took it and tore the result sheets into shred before security agents and other witnesses pounced on them and gave them a beating of their lives.
The suspects were severely manhandled before they were hounded into police vehicle outside after the arrest.
Briefing newsmen over the issue, Commissioner of Police, Imo, Dasuki Galadanchi said that the command will prosecute those who tore result sheets at collation centre.
Galadanchi said that the three persons identified in the crime have been arrested and would face the wrath of the law.
Trumpeta checks in the Electoral Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (Page 23) states a person who(b) willfully defaces or destroys any nomination paper or result from, (f) willfully destroys any ballot paper or official mark in any ballot paper or any certificate of return or result from; (G) without any authority destroys or in any other manner interferes with a ballot box or its contents or any ballot paper or result form then in use or likely to be used for the paper of an election.
The Electoral Act states that a (2) a person who commits an offence under subsection (1) of this section is liable on conviction to a maximum of term of imprisonment for 2 years”
Trumpeta was also informed that the three suspects who are lawyers are likely to be charged for Breach of peace.
