Ondo 2024: Election Officials Attacked, Materials Destroyed

During the governorship election in Ondo State on Saturday, November 16th, a violent incident disrupted the voting process at Polling Unit 19, Ward 6, Ogbagi, located in the Akoko area.

Hoodlums launched an attack on officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), leading to the destruction of electoral materials and the theft of personal items such as phones and purses.

The chaos erupted following the arrest of a People's Democratic Party (PDP) agent who was caught tearing votes.

The Presiding Officer (PO) of the polling unit recounted the ordeal, stating, "As the process of the election was going on, a party agent from PDP tore a vote without my consent."

This incident prompted the intervention of the community leader, known as the Kabiyesi, and eventually led to the police arresting the disruptive agent.

However, the situation escalated when a group of hoodlums attacked the polling unit. The PO described the scene, saying, "We discovered a gang of people parking the election materials and they beat us up - I and my APOs.

Even till now, I haven’t seen my APO 1, Bello Samuel by name." Despite the violence, the PO managed to secure the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), a critical component for the election's integrity.