Suspected political thugs on Thursday attacked the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, at his hometown, Eke, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.

He was attacked during the local government election rerun in the town.

The incident occurred at Central School Eke polling centre, at about 1:30 p.m. today.

While voting was going, the thugs who were allegedly acting on the orders of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, surrounded the VON DG and snatched his iPad and mobile phone from him.

The timely intervention of eagle-eyed policemen saved Okechukwu from the menacing thugs who were poised to wreak more havoc.

The policemen retrieved the iPad and phone from the thugs and handed them over to the VON DG.

However, none of Okechukwu’s assailants was arrested.

Speaking with journalists at the scene, the VON DG who was apparently ruffled by the incident, said the chairman-elect of Udi LGA, Nelson Ochi, ordered the attack on him.

Okechukwu said they were after him for insisting that democracy should be upheld at the grassroots through the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections.

“The election did not hold in Eke on November 4 because the result sheets were not brought to the polling centre and it was rescheduled. And today, they have come here again for examination without result sheets.

“Today, they came with only forms E8AB for units. But they did not show us the form 8A and 8C. They have not shown us the collation result sheets. That was where we stopped. The same thing happened the other day. They came here again and told us the returning officer was coming with sensitive materials.

“But the DPO compromised. The DPO said he called ENSIEC and they told him that this is the process. We are afraid because 8A and 8C are not here,” Okechukwu said.

Our correspondent who monitored the polls, observed that there was high turnout of voters, but the election was delayed by the disagreement over the missing result sheets.

As at the time when this report was filed, voting had been concluded in the nine polling centres in Eke ward while collation of results was ongoing at the Central School Eke collation centre.

Meanwhile, reports from Obioma in Udi LGA, where rerun polls also held, indicated that the situation was not different from Eke.

James Alor, the ward chairman of APC in Obioma said he protested against the missing result sheets and policemen and ENSIEC officials ordered him out of his polling centre.

Alor alleged that the election was rigged by PDP, acting in concert with ENSIEC officials and policemen.

When contacted, Chairman of Enugu state Independent Electoral commission (ENSIEC), Mike Ajogwu did not pick several calls put across to him for confirmation.

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