A vigilante group in Mashegu has intercepted a vehicle loaded with sensitive materials belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 30th November Local Government Area election.

The interception of the materials by the local vigilante groups, suspected to have been cornered by one of the political interests in the area, is coming barely a week to the election to be held across the 25 local government areas in the state.

The vehicle loaded with sensitive materials was intercepted by youths Friday night as the occupants of the vehicle made their way towards Mazakuka ward, a distant and difficult terrain from Minna, the state capital.

Eyewitness account had it that but for the timely intervention of some persons from the community leaders, the six occupants of the vehicle would have been lynched by the already gathering crowd suspecting that the materials were to be used to rig the election.

Meanwhile, Niger State Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barrister Sulaiman Zhigun, in a statement, said the party has made moves to ensure that the materials and the destination as claimed by the relevant agencies were true.

-The PDP state Secretary said, “We are resounding it to the whole world that the scheming by the ruling APC to rig and, or doctor the local government election results to favour candidates of the party will be resisted and all actions will be matched with double reactions.

“We are calling on security agencies not to take sides, but to act fast in doing the needful and not taking sides as surreptitious moves are already being made to release the arrested vehicle and the 6 persons who were arrested, including a staff of the State Independent Electoral Commission”. (Saturday Independent)

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