Ekiti bye-election violence: Senate asks IGP to order a full-scale investigation
Tunde Opalana, Abuja
The Senate has asked the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Muhammed to order a full-scale investigation into last Saturday’s violent disruption of Ekiti East Constituency 1 State Assembly bye-election leading to the death of at least three persons while many were injured.
The investigation, the Senate reasoned was to apprehend and bring to book perpetrators of the dastard act.
The upper chamber also urged the Federal Government to ensure the safety of electoral officials, security personnel, and election materials during elections while calling on the National Assembly to accelerate the passage of the Electoral Act amendment Bill currently before it to forestall future occurrences.
These resolutions followed a motion by Senator Biodun Olujinmi (Ekiti South) titled ‘Election violence in Ekiti: Need to eschew restraint’.
She called for the immediate establishment of the Electoral Offences Tribunal and shoot at sight order on any person attempting to snatch a ballot box in a future election.
Olujinmi who witnessed the violence in her Ward 7 but narrowly escaped gave an account of how a voter, a nursing mother police officer were shot, and a youth corp member and others suffered various degrees of injuries from gunshots.
She commended the Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi for his quick response which led to the arrest of a few perpetrators who are currently at the correctional centres.
Leading debate on the motion, Olujinmi noted the exercise which started on a good note in a peaceful and orderly manner was suddenly disrupted at noon when hoodlums invaded the polling centres to snatch ballot boxes.
“Also in the process, no fewer than three persons were feared dead and many others injured in Omuo Ekiti, Ekiti East Local Government area of Ekiti State”.
She concluded that ” no election is worth the blood of any Nigerian as democracy is the government of the people and the people should be allowed to make their choices through their votes”.
Other senators that contributed to the motion condemned the violence totally and hoped that such issues must be addressed in the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act 2010.
Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) while supporting the motion said all politicians should be reminded that no position is worth the blood of a human being and that they should caution their supporters to always toe the path of peace in the conduct of all election.
He said they should draw lesson from implications of incidents like this.
Senator Kabiru Gaya (Kano South) assured that issues surrounding electoral violence are receiving serious attention in the Amendment process to the Electoral Act.
Senator. Nicholas Tofowomo (Ondo South) said a judicial panel of inquiry should visit Omuo Ekiti to assess the level of damage and injuries inflicted o innocent Nigerians.
