Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at Somolu Local Government Area of Lagos State barred journalists, party agents and observers from the collation centre.
The returning officer of the Governorship and House of Assembly Elections for the LGA, with some selected persons, took the results from the wards to an inner office where the collation exercise was done.
This is contrary to INEC’s laid down procedure. For transparency, collation of results is done openly by the electoral body.
Also, Journalists and observers who were at the collation centre to monitor the exercise were denied access to the inner office.
After spending long hours in the inner office, the returning officer alongside police escorts left the INEC LGA office at Somolu with the results, around 4:58am on Sunday.
Even though party agents were refused access into the inner office where the selective collation was carried out, they were
later to sign and obtain duplicate sheets.
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