The All Progressives Congress (APC) has claimed victory in 13 out of the 18 local government areas (LGA) in Edo State in Saturday’s governorship election just as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleged suppression of votes in three key populous LGAs – Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba/Okha.
But despite the uploading of the results in 98 per cent of the Polling Units, security forces barred the agents of political parties and observers from the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin-City, the state capital where the results were being collated.
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Governors Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Bassey Otu of Cross River State; Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, as well as the National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, were at the INEC office.
However, Yiaga Africa and the PDP, in the early morning hours of Sunday, raised the alarm over the disruption in the collation process, insisting that the collation of the results from the various LGAs at the state INEC headquarters violated the established procedure for results collation.
Initial preliminary results uploaded on IReV from some polling units showed that the governorship candidate of the PDP, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, and that of the APC, Senator Monday Okpebholo were in a tight race.
But security agents were said to have chased away the observers and the agents of the political parties from the collation centre in Benin City, fuelling the allegation that there were plots to manipulate the results.
Speaking on ARISE NEWS Channel, the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP, Osarodion Ogie, confirmed that the agents of the PDP were not allowed into the collation centre.
Ogie also disclosed that an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police stopped the collation at the LGAs and ordered the movement of all the results to the INEC office in Benin-City.
“So, myself and the governorship candidate, we came here earlier in the day to make this complaint to the commission and find out why our collation agents were being prevented from being at collation centres. Some met us at the gate after our explanation. They were allowed in.
“Even when they got in, they told us that even while they were inside, they were not allowed to participate in the collation of results. We didn’t think that was good enough and we thought we should let the whole world know that this is not how elections should go. That is why we are here,” he explained.
Yiaga Africa alleged that observers were also teargassed in Ikpoba/Okha.
“Electoral law permits accredited observers, media, and party agents to monitor results collation at all levels. Failure to address these issues risks undermining the legitimacy of what has been a peaceful process since its commencement,” it said in a statement.
This is coming as no fewer than nine suspects were arrested by the police in the state for vote-buying and other offences just as the senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, denied the allegation that the APC brought money to buy votes.
While Oshiomhole; the state governor, Godwin Obaseki; Ighodalo, and Okpebloho won their polling units; the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Olumide Akpata lost his polling unit to the PDP.
The PDP had in a statement, alleged plots by the APC to use armed thugs to violently assault the election collation centre, disrupt the collation process and change results from the Polling Units, which according to it, showed that Ighodalo was in a clear lead.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, alleged in the statement that the APC was mounting pressure on the INEC Chairman and Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to suspend the collation process to make way for the manipulation of the INEC Portal and replace the real results from the units with fabricated figures in favour of the APC.
“The PDP in very strong terms cautions INEC and the APC to note that the people of Edo State already have authentic results from the Polling Units across the state and that any attempt by anybody or group whatsoever to alter the results will inflame the already charged situation with very severe consequences on perpetrators.
“INEC must not lose sight of the violent protest that trailed the criminal attempt by the former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Hudu Ari to alter the outcome of the 2023 governorship election in that state, which nearly led to the death of some INEC officials,” the statement explained.
The party urged the INEC to resist the pressure from the APC and ensure that nobody tampers with the results obtained from the polling units.
It charged the people of Edo State to remain at the Coalition Centre in their numbers and monitor the collation process.
Ologunagba had in a separate statement alleged the supporters of the PDP were abducted when they went to vote at polling units.
“A particular case in point is the Gestapo-style abduction of a voter by APC-controlled gunmen at Uromi Ward 8, Unit 3 while in the queue to cast his vote. This cowardly act further confirms that the APC is panicky and has already given up in the face of imminent defeat at the election,” he said.
But the state Chairman of the APC, Jarret Tenebe, has however appealed for calm, saying that the party’s candidate was set to be announced as winner of the contest by the INEC.
“Results so far collated by the Independent National Electoral Commission, from wards and local governments across the state reflect a comfortable lead by our party.
“We urge everyone to await the INEC to officially announce the results in line with the nation’s electoral laws,” he added.
Chuks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale, Adibe Emenyonu, Dike Onwuamaeze and Sunday Ehigiator
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