The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it will provide the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with electoral materials for the upcoming Edo State governorship election scheduled for September 21.
Dr. Augbum Onuoha, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo State, made this announcement during an interview with a major news network on Tuesday, following complaints from the PDP regarding delays.
On Monday, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, accused INEC officials of intentionally withholding the electoral materials, suggesting that they might manipulate them to cover up alleged electoral rigging.
In light of the PDP’s allegations, the REC reassured that the party would have access to the necessary election materials today.
“We have asked them to come tomorrow (Wednesday),” the REC said.
In a statement on Tuesday, Chris Osa Nehikhare, the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of using delay tactics in what he alleged was a collaboration with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to obstruct justice. He claimed this was intended to undermine the PDP’s efforts to contest the election results in court.
INEC had previously announced the APC candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, as the winner of the election, securing 291,667 votes, while the PDP’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, received 247,274 votes.
However, the PDP and Asue Ighodalo claimed that the election was manipulated and vowed to contest the results in court.
To initiate their legal challenge, they obtained a court order requiring INEC to permit them to inspect the electoral materials. Despite this, they expressed frustration over INEC’s refusal to grant them access to the materials.
Speaking on the situation, Nehikhare said, “We are aware that the clandestine and surreptitious game plan is to frustrate the PDP’s appeal and ensure the petition is not filed before the Saturday deadline.”
The commissioner also accused the APC of planning to burn the INEC office so as to destroy the BVAS machines and other electoral materials in an attempt to eliminate evidence of their alleged ‘electoral fraud.’
On Monday, the legal team of the PDP, headed by Olusegun Jolaawo (SAN), visited the INEC headquarters in Benin City to request access to the BIVAS machine, voter register, ballot papers, and other election materials. However, they were denied access, even after presenting the court order to INEC officials.
On Tuesday, the women’s wing of the Edo PDP held a protest, calling for the return of the allegedly stolen mandate of Asue Ighodalo.
The women, dressed in black and holding placards with various messages, vowed to persist in their protests until their demands were met.
Addressing Journalists in Benin, spokesperson for the group and former Chairman of the Esan West Local Government Council, Stella Okoro, said they were deeply pained by the outcome of the election.
She added, “We are here today at the NUJ, to express our feelings, and our pains. We are troubled because of our stolen mandate. Our stolen mandate is what we are asking for.
“We are not lions and tigers, we voted. Edo people came out to vote for Asue Ighodalo and that is why we mothers are here today, we are in pains, we are mourning, we are on blacks, telling them to give us back our stolen mandate.
“They used INEC, police and soldiers to rob us. Before the election, they were embarrassing our sons and daughters.
“They arrested our people and they were taken to Abuja, some were in the State CID. We are not happy. We have never seen this kind of election before.
“Upon all the intimidation, upon all the money they spent, Edo people said no. It is Asue Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie they want and they did and they won.
“Give us our mandate or else we will not rest until they give it to us. The Almighty God is hearing the women’s voice.”
In response to the PDP’s agitation, the Director of Publicity for the Edo APC Governorship Campaign Council denied any involvement by the APC in the matter.
He said, “The All Progressives Congress read the diatribe and attack on our party by the defeated Peoples Democratic Party in our dear state, with utter dismay at the falsehood, they have designed to mischievously misrepresent the true situation at the Benin Office of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the presence of the APC youths at the INEC office is to safeguard our hard-earned victory, especially as we have trusted information that the PDP Chairman in Edo State, Tony Aziegbemi, has planned to take advantage of his acquittance with a female INEC ICT department staff, from one of the neighbouring states, to falsify some already declared results.
“We call on Nigerians to disregard the baseless statement credited to Asue Media Organisation, through one Erhabor Emokpae, accusing the police and other law enforcement agencies of planning to manipulate the electoral process to favour our party.
“This statement is an open demonstration of poor understanding of what electoral process is. Ighodalo and PDP must be reminded that the 2024 Edo State governorship election has been conducted and won by distinguished Senator Monday Okpebholo over over two weeks ago.
“We will, nonetheless, excuse their confusion, which must be a result of concussion they suffered from the knockdown on September 21, 2024, and to simply inform them that the challenge they now face is a legal process, which has now become their albatross.
“The All Progressives Congress has no blame in the PDP judicial mishap.”
