How APC Thug Osakpamwan Nomolest was Shielded and Allowed to Escape with Ballot Boxes by Police Despite being Beaten up by Young Man at Collation Center
A witness recalled the ugly incident where an APC thug Osakpamwan Nomolest was given a thorough beaten as he snatched ballot boxes from the INEC Ward 2 in George Idah collation center in GRA Benin city. According to the witness, Osakpamwan accosted the INEC official on her table as she performed her electioneering duties precluding the collation of the election results and demanded access to the election materials. The spirited lady faced him down and refused access at which he proceeded to slam his fist on her table, instantly another young man came out of the watching crowd and knocked Osakpamwan down then proceeded to administer punches all over his face and upper torso for which Osakpamwan was to dazed to reply. Three of his minions that accompanied him ran out and put off the generator supplying electricity to the hall and in the ensuing darkness Osakpamwan siezed ballot boxes and ran for the gates where he was shielded by the police from the pursuing crowd. Soldiers that arrived almost immediately pursued him into town but he got away. On their return to the collation centre the soldiers were accosted by the supervising police officer who sought to pull rank on the soldiers but the commanding officer of the soldiers rebuffed him, chased away all the policemen and took over the manning of the gates and returned peace to the collation centre.
Meanwhile this and other events that marred the elections have generated a furore as the ordinary Edo citizen is less than satisfied about the stolen mandate and have come out in protest on the streets.
A leadership and rights advocacy NGO in Benin, Center for Patriotic Leadership Initiative (CPLI), in collaboration with civil society groups in Edo state as well as the youths of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and a faction of the APC in Edo state, have started series of protests to vent their frustration over the conduct of the Edo 2016 election that produced Mr Godwin Obaseki as Governor-elect, an election that has been adjudged by domestic and foreign observers of the election as the worst election since 1999 because it was highly monetized and there were widespread irregularities.
The protests, tagged #ReturnOurStolenMandate, started on 29th of September following the announcement of Obaseki as the winner of the election. The protests erupted in Orhionmwon, Esan Northeast, Etsako West, Ofunama, Ikpoba Okha, Ovia and environs.
The PDP has rejected the result and are preparing to challenge the matter at the Tribunal.
The youths of Edo state took to the streets to protest what many described as travesty and electoral fraud. The protests have been done on two previous
