Police, INEC disagree over missing results of Anambra Assembly polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Anambra State Police Command have disagreed over missing results of the just concluded state House of Assembly polls.

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, explained that the commission relied on information provided by the Police when they ran into problem following disruption of collation of results at Chuke Memorial Primary School, Obosi.

But responding, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Mohammed Haruna, said the duplicate copies of results from polling units it submitted to INEC were based on the commission’s request.

However, representative of Idemili North and Idemili South Federal Constituency, Obinna Chidoka, has urged Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu to investigate the killing of two men who were murdered during the March 2 rerun election in Obosi.

Chidoka stated this while fielding questions from journalists in Obosi yesterday, alleging that security agents at the polling centre should account for the shooting during which two persons were killed.

Narrating the incident, Chidoka who disclosed that he was at the scene of the incident, said he narrowly escaped death, adding that he tried to record the event with his phone.

He also narrated that he was driving out of the scene when the CP’s convoy arrived and he turned back to meet him, adding that it was then they discovered that two persons were killed during the shooting by Police and Department of State Security (DSS) personnel.

“If these results were used by INEC in the Presidential and Anambra Senatorial Central elections for Idemili North; my question is what then happened to the results of polling units in Obosi, which police equally had in their custody, why did they not also tender them,” he asked?

INEC had conducted a rerun in 26 polling units in Obosi and some parts of Abatete where violence marred collation of results during the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections in the area.

Meanwhile, the police in Katsina State yesterday confirmed the release of three INEC ad-hoc staff, who were abducted during the elections in Danmusa Local Government Area.

Bandits had attacked polling units in Maidabino Village in the council area, which led to the kidnap of the ad-hoc staff and the killing of a policeman, Mannir Usman, who was on duty.

But PPRO of the police command, Gambo Isah, confirmed that the three abducted staff had regained their freedom, adding that upon their release, they were taken to hospital for medical check up before uniting with their families.