- By Halimah Olamide
There was pandemonium at the Imo State Collation Centre on Sunday as an agent of the Labour Party was beaten and kicked out of the centre for demanding for the suspension of the collation exercise over alleged irregularities.,
The LP agent, whose name could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report, had alleged that results being announced by Collation officers from the various local governments did not tally with the number of accredited voters.
His position was also supported by some other party agents who also called on the Returning Officer, Prof Abayomi Fasina, to stand down the exercise pending the availability of the records of accredited voters which the commission could compare with the results being declared.
Specifically, the Labour Party had challenged Fasina by repeatedly reading from the Electoral Act and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s guidelines on the conducts of elections to support his claim.
The returning officer said he lacked the power to stand down the exercise just as he advised the LP agent and others who disagreed to get their petitions ready and submit at the proper quarters.
Severally, the agent insisted that the collation be halted so the state could have an acceptable result adding that the results being declared were manufactured.
At some point, the Returning Officer accused the LP agent of disrupting the collation exercise with his questions and insistence.
Hardly had Fasina ended his comment than some people descended on the LP agent wresting him to the ground and kicking him severally.
He was thereafter bundled out of the collation hall while Fasina then called on others present to sit down so the exercise could continue.