Launch manhunt for fleeing politicians
We suffered three attacks by hoodlums, PVCs carted away – REC
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Osun State Police Command, has said it arrested a staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, an ad-hoc staff and one other for alleged malpractice in the ongoing distribution of Permanent Voter Cards in the state.
The suspects, including a supervisor working with INEC, Mrs. Makanjuola Bilahu, one Orji Desmond Nkenna, a corps member attached to INEC office as an ad-hoc staff in charge of Voter Cards’ distribution and Oluwatobi Ogini were said to have conspired and manipulated the issuance of 38 PVCs to some politicians said to be at large.
A statement made available to journalists in Osogbo on Saturday by the spokesperson for the command, Yemisi Opalola, disclosed that its officers have also launched a manhunt for the fleeing politicians who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party, Wale Ojo and Ijamakinwa Olaoluwa, for inducing the corps member to give a PVC belonging to a particular voter to another person.
The police also said 38 PVCs were recovered from the suspects.
The statement reads: “On 30th June, 2022 at about 1040hrs, the complainant reported at Osu Division that, on 29th June, 2022, at about 1000hrs, he went to Independent National Electoral Commission office located at the Atakumosa West Local Government Area, Osu, Osun State, to collect his permanent Voter Card but could not find it.
“He consequently demanded for the register and discovered that, one Orji Desmond Nkenna, a corps member attached to INEC office as an ad hoc staff in charge of Voter Cards’ distribution has collected his PVC on the order of one Wale Ojo and Ijamakinwa Olaoluwa, now at large, both members of the Peoples Democratic Party for financial transaction.
“On receipt of the complaint, police detectives immediately swang into action and arrested the principal suspect along with the INEC supervisor to the alleged corps member, Mrs Makanjuola Bilahu, aged 58, and one Mr. Oluwatobi Ogini, aged 32, to investigate the level of their involvement.”
In a video interview conducted by the police and made available to journalists by the PPRO, the corps member confessed to issuing the PVCs to a politician after he promised to give him some money. Nkenna said the politician said the PVCs were for his family members and friends.
The 29-year-old corps member said, “These voter’s cards in my arms, I was meant to distribute them to their rightful owners at ward level. On the second day of the distribution exercise, a man, Wole Ojo, came to me and told me he is the honourable in charge of that place, he asked me to remove his family and friends cards so that when they are around, they will come for them and to dash me money in return, since they won’t be able to collect them at the end of the distribution exercise. I now told him that it’s not a matter of dashing me money, that he will give me N1,000 per card. He said no, that what he will is to dash me money. He then introduced me to a man, I don’t know if he is his friend or colleague, his name is Ijimakinwa Olaoluwa. He told the man to stay beside me in giving me the necessary information which I need to perfect the job. It took me three day to be able to gather 38 PVCs based on the information he gave me.”
Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in the state, Prof Abdulganiy Raji, said the commission had suffered three attacks by hoodlums who carted away many PVCs in the state ahead of the July 16 governorship election.
Raji said some of the PVCs carted away were recovered but 41 could not be recovered. He said six of the attackers were apprehended in one of the attacks while the unrecovered PVCs had been reprinted and flagged.
While speaking at a stakeholders meeting with journalists in Osogbo yesterday, Raji said, “We have had about three attacks where our cards have been carted away. Those responsible have been arrested and we have recovered our cards in some few hours after. In one of the cases, just 41 were not recovered. We got about 6 of the hoodlums. We reprinted the 41 PVCs and flagged them. So, anyone who come with the stolen cards won’t vote.”
