How we rigged elections in Lagos State: Participant

Ahead of the Saturday’s presidential election, a young man aged 30 who gave his name simply as Gbenga has revealed how he and his colleagues were used to rig previous elections in Lagos State. Gbenga said he decided to open up on this at the eve of the elections so that the political parties would be more vigilant and ensure proper monitoring for their votes. He said that the rigging party usually compromise some  agents of the political parties, the security agents and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission to enable them execute the rigging. According to him, usually they  were taken to a nearby house where they would be asked to thumbprint ballot papers. He said that the number of ballot papers they usually thumb-printed was dependent on the number of absentee voters. He said, “Usually they would pick us, sharp guys, and take us to a location where we will be made to thumbprint the ballot papers. We normally vote for all absentee voters, leaving out just a few to avoid making the rigging obvious. We will mark all those who did not show up to vote during the voting period as having vote, and then we stuff an equivalent number of ballot papers on the box. It is neat because all the agents and INEC officials would endorse as what actually happened. “It has happened in almost all the elections in the state since 1999. You see all the huge votes being announced all around is just make-belief.  It amuses me when they accuse others of plotting to rig elections and their previous elections were rigged. “I learnt from colleagues that this just the same pattern adopted all over the country. I know that the so-called card readers will make the difference this time. I am volunteering to make this known this time so that all the parties become more vigilant to avoid being rigged out.” The young man said that it the role played by these ‘hard men’ that made various administrations in the state to court the touts. Most of the people who helped them are touts. A few of us who are educated were I nvolved because of joblessness,”  he said. But he pointed out that their trick sight not work this time because many of the touts are not happy with them. “They did not fulfill some of the agreements reached them were not fulfilled; some of the boys are not happy,” he added. According to him, although they tried to reach out to some of the touts ahead of the coming elections, many of them are yet not pleased with them. This, he said, might affect their chances in the coming election in Lagos. “When the wind blows we will be able to see the chicken’s anus,” he said in proverb which seems to suggest that their beneficiary might see the difference beginng from this Saturday’s (today’s) election. Asked what was his motivation is coming out now, he said that his main focus is ensuring that Jimi Agbaje wins. I don want them to rig him out.