Posted by By FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE, Abuja on
Palpable tension enveloped Abuja, the Federal Capital, yesterday as politicians and their supporters besieged the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for last minute checks ahead of today's release by the Commission of the lists of cleared candidates for the Presidential and National Assembly elections, even as security has been beefed up at the Commission's office.
•As police beef up security at INEC office
Palpable tension enveloped Abuja, the Federal Capital, yesterday as politicians and their supporters besieged the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for last minute checks ahead of today's release by the Commission of the lists of cleared candidates for the Presidential and National Assembly elections, even as security has been beefed up at the Commission's office.
In the web of the apprehension, unconfirmed reports said the police authorities in Abuja have ordered the arrest of Mr. Chineme Ume-Ezeoke, supposed governorship candidate for Anambra State and son of the second Republic Speaker of the House of Representatives and National Chairman of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) for forgery and electoral fraud.
The arrest of Ume-Ezeoke (jnr) was consequent upon complaints by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, to the police about alleged sharp practices by some politicians who were found to have forged signatures of their parties' National Chairmen and Secretaries to deceive INEC into accepting their names as validly nominated by their parties. Two Presidential candidates whose identities could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report were also said to have committed the same offence.
The chairman has also ordered probe into the activities of the INEC legal personnel to ascertain their complicity in the controversy surrounding the failed fraudulent submission of Ume Ezeoke's governorship nomination form.
Ume-Ezeoke had accused INEC of conspiring with political opponents in Anambra to misplace his nomination form. He also claimed that he met the deadline of December 15, 2006 which INEC denied and claimed that his form came late on December 19, 2006 .
Apparently sensing danger, Ume Ezeoke had opted out of the race and wanted Mr. Nicholas Ukachukwu to replace him, who also did not make the list released by INEC.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up around the INEC headquarters to forestall any protest arising from the publication of the list just as armed policemen had a hectic time controlling the influx of politicians into the commission premises for greater part of the day.
The apprehension by the politicians is not unconnected with the declaration by INEC that anybody indicted by the Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by the Federal Government to review the report submitted by the EFCC would not make the list.
It had last week released the list of cleared candidates for the gubernatorial and state houses of Assembly elections.
Today,, candidates for the Vice-presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives' candidates for the April polls today will be revealed.