Adetutu Sobowale
Claim
A media platform, golden news, claimed that thugs snatched ballot boxes in the Ijesha-Tedo neighborhood of Surulere, Lagos, during the state’s governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
The report cited a picture and articles published on the website of Vanguard Newspaper.
Verdict
True
Full Text
A news report purported that there was unrest in Surulere as thugs snatched ballot boxes in Ijesha-Tedo in Lagos and a picture was attached to it.
The news report implies that thugs went into various polling places in the Ijesha-Tedo neighborhood of Surulere on Saturday to scare voters and steal ballot boxes and it kept people from voting in the Lagos State governorship election.
The report reads, “Thugs went into various polling places in the Ijesha-Tedo neighborhood of Surulere on Saturday to scare voters and steal ballot boxes. This kept people from voting in the Lagos State governorship election.
“The bad guys who stole the ballot boxes had rifles and other hazardous weapons.
“Some Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff from one of the affected polling units 29, on Alhaji Imam Street, were seen moving their leftover materials and tables to the
polling unit 09, which is close to the office of House of Rep member Olatunji Abiola Shoyinka, who represents Surulere Constituency II, on Durodoyen street, Ijesha.
“One of the PDP agents told Vanguard that the thugs were going from polling unit to polling unit,
stealing ballot boxes and intimidating people away from the polls with guns.
“Meanwhile, some of the party agents who spoke to the platform lamented the low turn-out of voters in this election compared to that of the March 25, presidential election.
Verification
A Google search by FactcheckElections revealed that the report has been published on the named.
The International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR shared a video on its Twitter
handle, confirming violence and the ballot box was snatching in the area around 2:43pm.
Conclusion
FactcheckElections can conclude that the claim that thugs snatched ballot boxes in the Ijesha-Tedo neighborhood of Surulere, Lagos, during the state’s governorship and State House of Assembly elections is TRUE.