Observer groups to the recently concluded Edo governorship
election have declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) reportedly rigged the polls in favour of the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC). Vanguard reports that two different observer groups; Alliance
for Credible Elections (ACE) and Public Interest Association, a coalition of
accredited election observers announced their reports on the Edo election at
separate press conferences on Tuesday, October 4.
Both groups agreed that there was heavy rigging and undue pressure
on INEC officials to favour the APC candidate and eventual winner Godwin
Obaseki. ACE general secretary Mma Odi noted to newsmen in Abuja that the group
saw a new innovation in rigging that is reminiscent of the dark days of the
military era. She also alleged the electoral officials deliberately delayed
collation of results of election till 10pm, when the results were tampered with
under the cloak of darkness. She said: “This election has brought in new
innovations to the rigging of elections. You make the election to appear very
nice during voting and all that but when it concerns collating, they were
highly innovative, which means we are getting higher in technological
advancement.”
National coordinator of the group Esther Bassey said: “We demand
for an immediate cancellation of the September 28, 2016 governorship election
in Edo State because such charade exercise has already put the peace and unity
of the state in jeopardy as the results released by a partisan and compromised
INEC does not in any way reflect the wishes of the people of the state.
“The results released shows that INEC was indeed under pressure to
avoid further inconclusive elections in Nigeria as many inconclusive elections
nowadays have already painted the commission on a negative note before
Nigerians, hence the careful allocation of votes to political parties and
declaration of a winner without consideration of the peoples’ feeling.” The APC
has rejected the allegations through its Edo state publicity secretary Godwin
Erhahon, who Vanguard quoted as saying: “The observers need to be abreast with
the rules and regulations governing elections in the country that once results
are announced, only the election petition tribunal can reverse results of the
election.
“Even though the opposition are complaining of rigging, we are
also complaining that the margin with which we defeated them is too narrow
because in 2012, we defeated them with over 70 percent. I advised the aggrieved
parties to go to the tribunal and we shall meet them there.” For the PDP, its
complaints have been justified by the observers, its state publicity secretary
Chris Nehikhare said. “The statement by the local observers has not only
vindicate our stand on the conduct of the election but also the stand and views
of Edo People who actually voted on the day of the election. They are the ones
whose mandate was stolen. We will get it back for them.’’
“We had previously alerted the world to the day light robbery
supervised by the security operatives, organised by INEC with Governor
Oshiomhole and his APC as the beneficiaries. We told the world that the details
of the results released by INEC are fake and not the figures announced at
various units and as collated at various wards across the state. The fake
results announced by INEC are entirely a fabrication which does not reflect the
true picture of what transpired during the election.” Meanwhile, the national
vice chairman of the APC southwest region Chief Pius Akinyelure has accused the
party’s national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun of being culpable in the
alleged manipulated process that saw the submission of Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s
name to the INEC as the party’s candidate for the Ondo state governorship
election.
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