The Oba raised questions about INEC's verification process for voter transfer, saying, "You can see that a lot of people came out. But, I have one question to ask the INEC, how can someone go to your website and make a transfer with a fake address and you did not verify it? We are seeing a lot of strange faces, they don’t live in this vicinity, that is a fraud… we’re are going to take it up after the election."
According to reports, the hoodlums attacked the area on Saturday afternoon, carting away ballot boxes and chasing away the presiding officer of INEC. A resident in the area stated that the violence erupted outside the Oba's palace, and eyewitnesses reported that the ballot boxes were snatched and the presiding officer was chased away. One eyewitness, who voted in the polling unit inside the palace, tweeted about the incident.
"The vote outside the palace was scattered by area boys. Ballot box jacked. Chased the presiding officer away," the eyewitness tweeted. "They just physically assaulted @EditiEffiong because he was videoing the whole thing. He tried running into the palace when they saw & chased him but they locked the gate. This is madness. The police officers here just stood & did nothing. They took his phone and deleted the video."
The Oba has called for an investigation into the incident, stating that the violence was unacceptable and that those responsible must be brought to justice. The police have been urged to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future, and the Oba has promised to work with relevant authorities to ensure that the people of Ikate can exercise their right to vote without fear of violence or intimidation.