#NIGERIADECIDE: INEC colluding with APC to rig election results is disgraceful – Gbadebo Rhodes
Gbadebo Rhodes, a candidate for governor for the Labour Party in Lagos state, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of working with the party in power, the All Progressives Congress, to rig the recently held general elections.
It will be recalled that last Saturday, elections for the National Assembly and the presidency were held.
This was said by Rhodes on Arise News on Monday.
He said, “INEC has been colluding with the ruling party in Lagos state and it is really disgraceful. The moment transmission of results did not happen from polling units, these election have been compromised.”
He said that the top electoral body had staged irregularities to taint the election.
“In Surulere, we won there. INEC is saying that our candidate was on the ballot. All sorts of irregularities are going on with INEC right now and it is extremely shocking but we are not going to accept these results. we have all our original polling unit results.”
He also admitted that the state’s ruling party had used violence and victimized LP members and voters during the election.
The gubernatorial candidate said that some party members are still hiding while others were attacked during the election on Saturday.
Yet, he was grateful for the Nigerian Army’s intervention.
“There have been a lot of threats to our members at the polling units, coalition centres. Even the Eti-Osa Chairman is in hiding now because of the threat. In Ojo, they came in with thugs to chase our people out of the coalition centre. People have been taken to custody. Some people in Eti-Osa yesterday, in front of Elegusi’s palace.
“They wanted to carry on with the manipulation to reduce our numbers. That was the end game that they had. Thankfully, the army was able to respond and come in there for our people to go back in. The army stepped in and in Alimosho as well.
The threats, he claimed, were there throughout Lagos State, but party members and advocates for decent leadership remained steadfast.
Rhodes said, “Despite all of these, the people came out in a huge mass.”
He also criticized the Nigeria Police Force’s level of protection as being unprofessional.
“A lot of situations police would just leave and ‘area boys’ would just come and scatter the place.
“The security apparatus of this election needs a lot of work. They need to seat up. A lot of situations police would just leave and ‘area boys’ would just come and scatter the place,” he said.
