3 police officers, INEC official feared dead

Burial ground

… voters protest

BENIN CITY- THREE police officers and an INEC registration official were feared dead Saturday at the riverside community of Ajoki, near Ologbo, in Edo State, when the boat with which they were transporting electoral materials for Saturday’s governorship election capsized.

The police officers involved in the tragedy were two inspectors and one constable. The entire electoral materials were however, destroyed during the incident, throwing the community into mourning.

Meanwhile, over 300 eligible voters protested the exclusion of their names and photographs from the INEC voter’s register  at Unit 17, Ward 12 in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo state, during Saturday’s governorship election.

The angry citizens caused a rowdy scene at the voting centre as they said INEC should produce the voter’s register that was used for the last Presidential elections, which contained their names and photographs.

Some of them said the use of a voter’s register that did not have their photographs and names for the election was a plan to defraud them and insisted on the old register.

INEC’s Resident Commissioner in the state, Mr. Kassim Gaidam, later rushed to the unit to pacify the citizens, who insisted that the old register with their names and photographs should be produced.

INEC could not, however, produce the voter’s register in question, but the agents of the political parties subsequently agreed that only the 66 persons whose names and photographs were found in the register should vote.