Posted by Sun News Publishing on
The alleged falsification of electoral documents before the Benue State election Petition Tribunal in Makurdi has assumed a criminal bent as the State Police Command has begun the arrest of suspected staff of the State Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) allegedly involved in the exercise.
The alleged falsification of electoral documents before the Benue State election Petition Tribunal in Makurdi has assumed a criminal bent as the State Police Command has begun the arrest of suspected staff of the State Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) allegedly involved in the exercise.
Already helping the police in its investigation is the former Benue INEC legal officer, Mrs. Carol Okpe, who is being quizzed by the criminal investigations department of the command.
Mrs. Okpe is being questioned on her alleged roles in passing the Form E C8 Series used in the April 21 Benue South Senatorial election to Mr. Usman Abubakar (ANPP) for alleged falsification.
Mr. Abubakar is challenging the election of the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, at the Benue tribunal.
The Benue Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Samuel Jinadu, when contacted, confirmed that police have commenced full investigation into the falsification of the INEC documents.
Jinadu was, however, silent on the stage of the investigation, stressing that doing otherwise could hinder the progress so far made by the crack defectives conducting the investigation.
He, however, assured that the police would do its best to fish out those that perpetrated the criminal act.
But the Benue State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Gabriel Adah, who confirmed Okpe's arrest, said the police would determine those involved in doctoring the electoral results forms.
It would be recalled that the counsel to INEC led by Amaechi Nwaiwu, SAN, had moved a motion number M216 in the election petition filed by Mr. Usman Abubakar of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, challenging the election of David Mark. The motion was dismissed on Friday February 8, by the tribunal on the ground that it was one of the issues that the tribunal would determine in its judgment.
In the motion, Nwaiwu had alleged that the legal department had released electoral results to the petitioner, which he took away to his home and only returned same after two weeks, having tampered with the result.