Police Alleges Plot By Labour Party to Present Fake Results in Court.

·         Impounds materials found with suspects

·           Prime Suspects in Custody  

The Delta state Police Command has uncovered plot by some officials of the state chapter of the Labour Party (LP) to tender fake election results sheets in court.

A certified true copy of the police report addressed to the commissioner of police and signed by Deputy Commissioner   of Police (DCP) Hafiz M. Inuwa states that a prima facie  case of forgery and  falsification have been established.
The State Police Command says it has arrested and detained some officials of the Party for being in possession of sensitive electoral documents of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in relation to the just concluded governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.

The Police report revealed that those arrested are top members of LP who are alleged to have stolen INEC electoral materials for the 2015 general election. 
     

Among those arrested and interrogated in connection with the incident are Chief Tony Ezeagwu , who is the  Delta State Labour Party Chairman  and Onodawerho Esiri , the prime suspects in the report

According to the police report   with reference number CR3000/DTS/SD3/VOL/3/230, and dated 25th June, 2015, the police acting on a tip-off swooped on a popular hotel located in the metropolis of Asaba, the Delta State capital and found the suspects in possession of INEC original copies of results relating to the just concluded governorship election in the state.

The report listed the items recovered to include; “47 completed copies of original result sheet, otherwise known as Form EC8A, for the governorship election held in parts of Warri South; 16 completed copies of original result sheets, otherwise known as Form EC8A (1), for House of Assembly elections held in parts of Warri South; seven completed copies of original result sheets , otherwise known as Form EC8 for governorship election held in parts of Ughelli North”.

The report also stated that “the recovered and identified result sheets are sensitive materials  that should  not be found outside the custody of INEC or officials of INEC and that the person  that stole the result sheet is the person that stands  to gain advantage  at the Electoral Petition Tribunal if INEC could  not produce  the result sheets  when the tribunal demands for it.”

Other items removed also include, “ Five completed copies of original result sheets , otherwise known as Form EC8A (1),  for  House of Assembly elections held in Ugheli North and one copy of original Form EC8B (1) for summary of results from polling units in Warri South. Also recovered were 149 original copies of polling unit material receipt forms, otherwise known as form EC25B; 139 copies of forged forms EC25B among others”. 

The report indicates that two staff of INEC staff allegedly conniving with the agents of the Labour Party were interrogated , adding that “ following the discovery of the exhibits , INEC  did a stock taking  of its strong room  and discovered  that a total of 117  results sheets  for governorship election and 20  House of Assembly election are missing  from their strong room”. 

The police have concluded plans to charge the suspects to court for conspiracy to steal, forgery and receiving of stolen INEC property.