The Labour Party House of Representatives candidate for Ajeromi/Ifelodun Federal Constituency in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections, Dr. Emilia Abiodun Ezeude has alleged that the supporters of Labour Party, especially those doing business in various markets in the area are being constantly threatened for voting the Party.
Ezeude who disclosed this in a telephone interview with our correspondent observed that after the Presidential election on February 25, “we have been receiving series of threats apart from the one that they did on the day of the election, chasing our people away, asking them to go and vote Labour Party in Anambra State.”
Recalling that most of the Labour Party agents were chased away with guns and cutlasses and all sorts and most of the ballot boxes snatched, she said, “We went through all that and threats keep coming and of course, I am sure you see some on the social media of people threatening hell and brimstone because the Igbo people exercised their franchise and I am sure you know that it’s not only Igbo people that voted Labour Party. I am surprised they are being singled out for attacks here and there.
“Just two days ago, we got information that a group of people came to Akere market in Ajeromi and burn down the market to ashes. Goods worth billions of Naira were burnt to ashes in Ajeromi/Ifelodun Akere market. They are attacking people that are going about their legal businesses and they committed no crime.
“It’s so disheartening, I truly do not know why we have gotten ourselves to this level. Our supporters, especially our people in the markets are being threatened. Like I saw the Chairman of the market today and he told me that two weeks ago, immediately after the election, somebody called him and said since they voted against APC, they will see them and they actually came last week with kegs of fuel but as God will have, they called the Police and they were able to chase them away. And they repeated two days ago and got the whole place burnt down.”
Speaking on the outcome of the election held a fortnight ago, she stated that the outcome as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC wasn’t what transpired, “because as you can see, evidence, like I told you earlier, our agents were chased away and when you look at those result sheets, you will see that they scored so many polling units zero, they didn’t put any figure for Labour Party and then knowing full well that everybody, almost 90% of Nigerians voted for Labour Party.”
She continued, “So, most of the polling units where we have strength, they refused our agents to witness what happened, they destroyed our result and put zero for us. Most of our ballot boxes were carried away. There are some of the ballot papers that were seen inside the gutters. In some cases, it was even alleged that it was the law enforcement agents, the Army that they called and they carried all the boxes away. Most of our results were not recorded because when you look at our results, we even see that Labour Party was exempted from the result sheets.
“So, most of the INEC staff insisted that they were not going to record our results because there was no Labour Party in the result sheets. So, these are ways of disenfranchising the people, the Labour Party and equally making people not to vote. I think it’s very disgraceful, very shameful, very disheartening that in the 21st century we are still behaving as if we are in the animal kingdom.”
Asked if she will approach the election petition tribunal to reclaim her mandate, Dr. Ezeude said, “Exactly, it is not even my mandate, it is the mandate of the people, the people that elected me, that went under the sun, under the rain , defiling all sorts of threats and and putting their lives on line to vote Labour Party represented by myself. So, I will not be disappointing my people. So, we are approaching the court and I believe that we will get our mandate back.”
She, however, called on the Federal Government, the Lagos State Government and the security agencies to rise up to the occasion and ensure security of lives and property of Nigeria arguing that Nigerians should not be made to be living in fear in their own country even as she asked the Labour Party supporters not to succumb to the threats but brave and report any threats to the security agencies for prompt action.
Photo: Dr. Emilia Abiodun Ezeude, Labour Party House of Representatives candidate for Ajeromi/Ifelodun Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
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