Daily Trust - the online edition

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno State has alleged that policemen who supervised last Saturday’s council polls at various polling booths perpetrated massive rigging in favour of the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)

The state’s party chairman Alhaji Baba Basharu, who made the allegation at a press conference yesterday, said available facts have shown that police were found to have thumb-printed ballot papers in favour of ANPP and stuffed same in ballot boxes.

Basharu described the entire election as a charade, saying people must be allowed to vote candidates of their choice, alleging that the ruling ANPP government connived with security agents and snatched electoral materials from polling units.

He stated that as security operatives the police should strive to treat all parties equally, but regretted that the reverse was the case, as they were found to have colluded with government.

‘‘Besides participating in electoral fraud, police have also intimidated, arrested and illegally detained PDP supporters in cells just because they resisted rigging; similarly, our supporters were assaulted and attacked by ANPP thugs in the presence of the police, yet they have done nothing to rescue them’’, the chairman alleged.

‘‘ANPP thugs attacked and inflicted injuries on our supporters in Jere, Konduga, Shani, Kaga and Mafa local government councils, election did not take place in all of the areas as ballot boxes were taken to the government lodge and surrounded by police’’, he further alleged

Basharu described the elections as a mockery of democracy, declaring that PDP has totally rejected the results announced by Borno State Independent Electoral Commission (BOSIEC).

‘‘In the first place government failed to make effective plans for the provision of adequate electoral materials at polling booths which led to the delay in commencing the exercise, in fact ballot boxes stuffing and ballot papers stuffing characterised the so called election in the presence of police but they have done nothing so stop the crime’’, he alleged.

The chairman explained that the PDP was short changed in the state as its supporters were deprived from exercising their constitutional right of casting votes, saying the party is now deliberating on the next line of action to take on the matter. He however, urged the supporters to remain calm and avoid taking laws into their hands."