7 dead, 11 rescued, 5 missing in poll-related tragedies
Saturday’s postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections claimed no fewer than seven lives and left many human beings injured in some parts of the country.
Nigerians had been poised for what would have been the country’s eight presidential election, when it was once postponed 5 hours to the exercising by means of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, claiming logistics challenges. The deaths occurred in Cross River, Delta and Benue states. Mr. Ayuk Ogar, Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Bendeghe Ekiem Ward in Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State and four others had been confirmed dead, following a conflict with All Progressives Congress, APC, supporters in the area. The conflict occurred on Saturday morning when elders, chiefs and opinion leaders in the neighborhood convened a meeting for supporters of the two events to signal a peace accord to cease the well-known fighting between them in the community.
Ohimi APC Chair killed Also
Chairman of APC in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State, Boniface Okloho, was once killed on Saturday by way of unknown gunmen on his way domestic from a party feature at Ehatokpe in Ohimini, an Idoma-dominated area that forms part of Benue South Senatorial District.
Community that the murdered chairman was just arriving home from a political party meeting when he was accosted and shot by unknown persons, who fled the scene afterwards. While community sources said the killing might be connected to intra-party crisis, claiming that the deceased had been having running battles with members of his party over alleged party campaign funds, the Police said it was not politically motivated. The source said: “His murder may not be unconnected to the alleged manner he shared the supposed funds given to him for campaigns in his area recently. “It was alleged that there had been deep-rooted squabbles between him and other members over the manner party funds were unevenly shared among members in the area. “The development has always been a source of crisis between him and party members because the disbursement pattern has never gone down well with majority of the members.”
Warri
Again, two persons reportedly lost their lives when the boat they were travelling in, after the unexpected postponement of the polls, capsized at Ogheghe riverine community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. They had left their community as early as 6a.m. on Saturday morning, after the postponement news, for the cities, when a high tidal wave hit their boat. Rescuers, however, saved the lives of 11 persons in the boat filled with 13 passengers. The local government chairman, Mr. Aduge Okorodudu, who was among those that led the search-and-rescue mission, condoled with the families of the deceased and blamed INEC for the tragedy. “If not for the sudden shift in the polls, these persons would not have left their community as early as 6am,” Okorodudu said and accused INEC of flopping in a national election that took it over three years to plan, “only to come up with flimsy excuse of logistics, as if logistics were not in the original plans of the commission.” “The action of the Commission is like one who plans at the battle ground and it has thrown the entire council area into mourning,” the chair asserted.
These and many others happened on that day.
Nigerians had been poised for what would have been the country’s eight presidential election, when it was once postponed 5 hours to the exercising by means of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, claiming logistics challenges. The deaths occurred in Cross River, Delta and Benue states. Mr. Ayuk Ogar, Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Bendeghe Ekiem Ward in Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State and four others had been confirmed dead, following a conflict with All Progressives Congress, APC, supporters in the area. The conflict occurred on Saturday morning when elders, chiefs and opinion leaders in the neighborhood convened a meeting for supporters of the two events to signal a peace accord to cease the well-known fighting between them in the community.
Ohimi APC Chair killed Also
Chairman of APC in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State, Boniface Okloho, was once killed on Saturday by way of unknown gunmen on his way domestic from a party feature at Ehatokpe in Ohimini, an Idoma-dominated area that forms part of Benue South Senatorial District.
Community that the murdered chairman was just arriving home from a political party meeting when he was accosted and shot by unknown persons, who fled the scene afterwards. While community sources said the killing might be connected to intra-party crisis, claiming that the deceased had been having running battles with members of his party over alleged party campaign funds, the Police said it was not politically motivated. The source said: “His murder may not be unconnected to the alleged manner he shared the supposed funds given to him for campaigns in his area recently. “It was alleged that there had been deep-rooted squabbles between him and other members over the manner party funds were unevenly shared among members in the area. “The development has always been a source of crisis between him and party members because the disbursement pattern has never gone down well with majority of the members.”
Warri
Again, two persons reportedly lost their lives when the boat they were travelling in, after the unexpected postponement of the polls, capsized at Ogheghe riverine community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. They had left their community as early as 6a.m. on Saturday morning, after the postponement news, for the cities, when a high tidal wave hit their boat. Rescuers, however, saved the lives of 11 persons in the boat filled with 13 passengers. The local government chairman, Mr. Aduge Okorodudu, who was among those that led the search-and-rescue mission, condoled with the families of the deceased and blamed INEC for the tragedy. “If not for the sudden shift in the polls, these persons would not have left their community as early as 6am,” Okorodudu said and accused INEC of flopping in a national election that took it over three years to plan, “only to come up with flimsy excuse of logistics, as if logistics were not in the original plans of the commission.” “The action of the Commission is like one who plans at the battle ground and it has thrown the entire council area into mourning,” the chair asserted.
These and many others happened on that day.
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