Police in Gombe is currently investigating a matter of alleged attempt by unknown persons to manipulate court evidence for the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer Fwaje Atajiri told reporters in Gombe Yesterday that, no arrest has been made yet, but that, investigations were already on after which appropriate actions would be taken.
In his words, “There was an allegation which is currently being investigated. When details are available we would let you know, but for now, we have no much information about the incident, some students were said to have sighted some hoodlums within their school premises thumb printing some ballot papers, but as I speak to you, details are not yet available, when we get more information, we would let you know.”
Also speaking on the matter, Principal, Government Science Secondary School Gombe, Alh Ahmed Madugu narrated that, the incident took place in his school when he was attending a meeting with key officers of the State Ministry of Education, at the State Education and Resource Center.
According to him, some of his students reported to have sighted some hoodlums who must have crossed through the school fence into the student’s Hostel thumb printing ballot sheets. He explained that, some of the students also confessed to have been invited to assist in thumb printing the ballot sheets by the hoodlums but none of them complied.
Also according to him, an attempt by the school security to catch the hoodlums was unsuccessful as the hoodlums took to their heels immediately they saw the security men.
“Our students were not comfortable seeing the strangers around their hostels, decided to report to the school authority, our Vice principal admin who was not at the meeting with us, quickly mobilised the school security, but on reaching there, the hoodlums ran away leaving nothing behind.”
One of the school teachers Abubakar Baba who witnessed the incident also told reporters that, the hoodlums were also seen wearing PDP tags, while thumb printing the photocopies of governorship election ballot papers. He said the hoodlums were also seen video shooting their perpetrated activities.
” When we got there we saw them thumb printing photocopies of governorship election ballot papers, they were also wearing PDP tags on their necks, when we asked them what they were doing they said they were making a scene, because we met them replaying the video they took on their phones. Immediately we rushed back to alert our security, they ran away.” He added.
It could be recalled that, the opposition party the All Progressive Congress APC in the state, and its Governorship candidate Alh Inuwa Yahaya have filed a case against the elected governor of the state Alh Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of the People’ s Democratic Party, including the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioner INEC, Returning Officer, Gombe State, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigerian Army before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Gombe, questioning the credibility of the just concluded governorship election in the state.
Matter of the motion before the tribunal is also seeking for an order to allow Petitioners and Applicant to inspect photocopies of all electoral materials in relation to the governorship election conducted by INEC in the state. The Petition Tribunal in Gombe, questioning the credibility of the just concluded governorship election in the state.
