By Francis Onoiribholo Bureau Chief Benin
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has queried what it described as “Illegal Interruption Of Collation Of Edo State Governorship Election Results” and demanded for the immediate restoration of the collation process in accordance with the Electoral Act and the INEC rules and regulation for the election.
The national chairman of the PDP Campaign Council for the Edo State governorship election and governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri made the call while briefing journalists on the situation of the election
Fintiri, flanked by the governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborovholi, Keffas Agbu (Taraba) and the host governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, alleged that the election processes were violently interrupted in some places and the materials were taken to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s headquarters in Benin.
According to him, “The collation process was violently interrupted in several local government areas across the State.
,”In Edo South, local government collation processes were stopped in Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha, and Egor and moved illegally to the State Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin on the instructions of an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in complete breach of the statutory collation process.
“Affected Party Agents and representatives were then ordered to converge on the INEC State Headquarters in Aduwawa, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area for the completion of the collation exercise.
“Upon arrival, agents of the PDP were not allowed into the INEC State Office for the exercise. On the other hand, agents of the APC were allowed unfettered access into the INEC premises to participate in the collation process.
“This was also in breach of the Electoral Act section on neutrality as well as the rules and regulations published for these elections.
“At about 9pm senior party officials of the All Progressives Congress (APC) accompanied by the police stormed the Etsako West Local Government collation center and began shooting indiscriminately.
“As a result of the attack, the council Vice Chairman, Honorable Benji Ojetu was left in critical condition from a shooting injury. Because of this assault, the expected results from Wards 7 and 11 were not delivered.
” At the INEC state office a 2km-long garrison barricade was created by the Police to cordon-off access, thereby restricting movement in the area.
“It took the protest of Governor Godwin Obaseki to make an entry into the State INEC office and register the displeasure of the PDP with the irregularities of the collation process.
“At the point of the truncation of the collation exercise, these are the results that have been collated:
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Esan Central APC – 8,618 PDP – 10,990
Esan North East APC – 10,648 PDP – 12,522
Esan South East APC – 8,398 PDP – 14,199 Esan West:
APC – 12,952 PDP – 11,004
Igueben APC – 5,407 PDP – 8,470
Etsako Central
APC – 10 990 PDP – 8,618
Orhionmwon APC – 16,059 POP: 16,614
Ovia North East APC – 13,225 PDP – 15,311
Ovia South West APC – 10,150 PDP – 10,260
Owan West APC – 12,277 PDP – 11,284
Owan East APC – 19,380 PDP – 14,189
Uhumwonde APC – 8,673 PDP – 9,339
“We hereby demand for a restoration of the collation process in accordance with the Electoral Act and the INEC rules and regulation for this election.
” Any other illegal and unlawful actions going forward will be a violation of the will of the people and an abuse of the Electoral Act 2022″., he declared.
