Two persons suspected to be agents of one of the political parties
\ninvolved in Saturday\u2019s supplementary governorship election in Bayelsa have
\nbeen arrested for allegedly snatching a ballot box.<\/p>\n
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suspects were arrested
\nby soldiers at Otuokpoti Unit 1, Ward 2, Ogbia Local Government Area,
\nwhere the box was allegedly snatched.<\/p>\n
The suspects were said to have forcefully carried the ballot box while
\npolling was ongoing at the unit.<\/p>\n
The incident caused pandemonium at the unit but after the suspects were
\ntaken away, accreditation and voting resumed.<\/p>\n
An Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official in the ward,
\nwho did not want to be named, confirmed that security reinforcement had
\nbeen sent to the area and that election would continue.<\/p>\n
A member of the security team in the ward said that the suspects would be
\ntaken to Yenagoa, the state capital, while investigation would be carried
\nout on the incident.<\/p>\n
However, Police in the state said they were yet to receive report on the
\nincident.<\/p>\n
Spokesman of the command, Mr Asinim Butswat, a Deputy Superintendent of
\nPolice, said it was possible that such incident occurred in the polling
\narea but that the command had not received report on it.<\/p>\n
Butswat, however, told NAN that the situation was calm in most polling
\nunits where the election was being conducted.<\/p>\n
NAN reports that the supplementary election in the state is holding in
\nSouthern Ijaw and in 101 polling units in other parts of the state where
\nthe Dec. 5, 2015 governorship poll was cancelled due to violence.
\nAccording to Butswat, reports from the units indicate that all is calm.
\n\u201c The command has done necessary deployments to all polling units. In most
\nunits, accreditation and voting have commenced and it has been peaceful so
\nfar.
\n\u201c Our men are on ground and are on top of the situation,\u2019\u2019 he said.
\nMeanwhile, accreditation and voting began in Otuabagi, Otuekemi and other
\nunits in Ward 12, Ogbia Local Government Area between 8.15 a.m. and 8.40
\na.m.<\/p>\n
NAN observed the card reader in the polling units were functional.<\/p>\n
Mr Mike Ebong, a voter in unit 16 who assessed the conduct of the exercise
\ntold NAN that it was orderly.<\/p>\n
Another voter, Mr James Tariowrie, said that he decided to vote for the
\nbetterment of the state. (NAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Two persons suspected to be agents of one of the political parties involved in Saturday\u2019s supplementary governorship election in Bayelsa have been arrested for allegedly snatching a ballot box. The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n