Warn Your Children, Politicians Steal Result Sheets At Polling Units— Amaechi Tells Parents Of INEC Adhoc Staff
The vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has alleged that politicians steal election result sheets at polling units, warning that the practice puts the lives of the ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at risk.
Amaechi stated this while addressing a group of youths, where he urged Nigerians to remain at their polling units after voting to witness the counting of ballots and ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
The former Rivers State governor, who drew from his years of political experience, maintained that the polling unit remains the most critical stage of any election.
“On the day of election in your Ward and in your Unit, you finish voting, you stand for the counting. I have been a politician all my life, I have never worked anywhere before.
“I left university in 1987 and joined politics that same year, so you won’t teach me, unit level is where they vote.
“Politicians steal result sheets at the unit level risking the life of the INEC adhoc officer. As he comes, show us the result sheet or you are not going because politicians don’t care about your life, some parents must stop their children who want to be adhoc staff.”
Amaechi also advised parents to caution their children against taking up INEC ad hoc assignments, arguing that politicians often disregard the safety of electoral officials during elections.
The former minister of transportation further called on Nigerians to ensure that votes cast at polling units are counted openly and that the results are uploaded before electoral officials depart.
“If there is a result sheet, we will queue up and when they finish counting, if you don’t upload it you are not going
“If we finish the election and there are one million persons in front of INEC and trust me if you do all these, ADC can mobilize one million people to INEC office.
“Don’t forget that there is an election that would have been rigged in Nigeria, the election that made Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso governor, how many of you remember that, when they looked outside and saw 500 persons what did they do, they announced.”
According to Amaechi, sustained public vigilance at polling units and collation centres remains essential to safeguarding election results and discouraging electoral malpractice.