Nigeria Content Online

Okey Ezea, the
governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Enugu State and 35
others were yesterday arraigned before an Enugu State Magistrate Court
for allegedly attempting to disrupt last Saturday’s National Assembly
election.

The suspects were
accused of threatening to cause violence and disrupt the parliamentary
election at Ibagwa Aka in Igbo Eze local government area of the state
when the result of the election was being collated. But they pleaded
not guilty to the charge brought by the police.

Mr Ezea and the
party’s House of Assembly candidate in the area were subsequently
granted bail on self recognition by the presiding magistrate, Emma
Ezema, after taking their plea.

However, the others
were granted bail under in the sum of N500,000 each and four sureties
who must be residing within the area where the offence was allegedly
committed.

Mr Ezea, who was
earlier on Monday invited by the Criminal Investigation Department
(CID), explained that he visited the office of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) at Ibagwa Aka with some of his supporters
at about 10pm on the election day to report cases of malpractices to
officials.

According to him,
the state commissioner for information, Chuks Ugwoke and the chairman
of Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area, Chris Omeje, both of whom hail
from Alor Agu Community snatched some ballot boxes during the election.

Mr Ezea said that
rather than institute an investigation into the allegation, some
officials of the state government instructed soldiers to arrest him and
his supporters.