Tension as hoodlums destroy voting materials in Taraba

Tension as hoodlums destroy voting materials in Taraba  : Voting materials which include Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS), and ballot papers, among others, have been destroyed in the Akate ward in Donga local government council of Taraba State.

Accreditation and voting scheduled to commence at about 8 am were disrupted by hoodlums who attacked polling units spread across the ward.

Though the hoodlums were said to have been repelled by security operatives, the electorates expressing their franchise in today’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the ward were frustrated.

Gunshots from the hoodlums, who were heavily armed, rang sporadically in the area to prevent the electorates from coming out to vote.

An Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ad-hoc staff member who spoke with our correspondent, vowed to withdraw from participating in the exercise, stating that “our security is not even guaranteed.”

At the time of filing this report, voting in the 29 polling units of the ward has been put on hold as tension and apprehension have enveloped the area and the council.

An eyewitness who spoke with our state correspondent said the hoodlums succeeded in carrying out their nefarious act before the arrival of security operatives.

The eyewitness, who gave his name as James Chimin, expressed sadness that the much-promised protection by security operatives turned out to be a mirage.

Aligning their to that of Chimin, some of the electoral staff, said, ” for now, we don’t see any election taking place in this ward.”

They urged the authority concerned to wade in by putting all the desired security in the polling units across Donga and the state at large.”