By Simon Ebegbulem,  Benin
THE Edo State correspondent of the Nation newspapers, Friday Otabor, was yesterday, severely beaten  by political thugs allegedly  loyal to a chieftain of the Action Congress (AC)  while monitoring the bye-election into the state House of Assembly in Oghede ward, Ovia North East Constituency 11.
The beating took place in the presence of the chairman of the council, Mr. Faustin Ovienroba, and over ten policemen.  Otabor was, however,  rescued after journalists ran to the AC chieftain  who was standing nearby to inform him to stop the attack, that the victim was a journalist.

The Appeal Court in Benin  had ordered the  bye-election in Oghede ward, after declaring that election could not hold there during the April 14, 2007 House of Assembly poll due to alleged violence.

Trouble started at the Igo Primary School polling station when the AC chieftain stormed the polling booth with his boys. Some of the boys requested that they should be allowed to vote but the official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  informed them that they were not registered voters in that booth.

While the argument was going on, the journalist  tried to take a photograph  of the incident. But the thugs went for him and dispossessed  him of all his valuables including phones  and about N13,000. However, his phone was recovered by the AC chieftain  who ordered the thugs not to touch any of the journalists as they were threatening to beat up other journalists who condemned what they did to their colleagues.

However, as at the time of filling this report, the election was peaceful in most polling units apart from Igo and Ivbiegie polling units.