‘Order From Above’ – APC Agents Stop INEC From Counting Accord Votes At Oyetola’s Polling Unit

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been allegedly barred by suspected agents loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from counting ballots cast for the Accord Party (A) at the polling unit of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, during Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.

According to The Cable, at the Lado Hill polling unit in Boripe Local Government Area, no Accord agent was on ground to monitor proceedings when collation began.

A man wearing an APC identification tag was said to have confronted INEC officials at the unit, insisting that ballots cast for the Accord Party be nullified. He reportedly told the officials the instruction had come “from above.”

The presiding officer initially pushed back against the demand. However, once police and other security operatives deployed to the unit withdrew from the immediate scene, the officer reportedly gave in to the pressure.

With the resistance broken, the APC agent and another unidentified man allegedly collected ink from the electoral officials and thumb-printed the ballots cast for Accord, in what appeared to be a deliberate move to invalidate them.

By the time the presiding officer announced the results, the APC was credited with 242 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled five votes, the Action Alliance (AA) got two, while the African Democratic Party (ADP) settled for a single vote.

Fourteen candidates contested Saturday’s governorship poll in Osun State.