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…INEC allays fears, says election holds only in uploaded wards
From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC), Ovia South-West Local Government Area chapter, yesterday, raised the alarm over alleged plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government in the state to compromise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on the forthcoming supplementary election into the state House of Assembly.
The party said that it had it on good authority that the Edo PDP was planning to get INEC to cancel more results in the wards that are strongholds of the APC in Ovia South-West to give undue advantage to the PDP at the scheduled supplementary election.
While the APC spoke through its Ovia South-West Local Government Area party Chairman, Emmanuel Ogbomo, the umpire gave the assurance of its honesty through its Edo State Director of Voters Registration and Publicity, Timidi Wariowe.
APC, however, claimed that it was poised to win the constituency before the cancellation.
Raising the alarm in Benin on Friday, Ogbomo alleged that top Edo State Government officials, using a retired INEC director (name withheld), planned to get INEC to cancel more wards after the Commission had announced the results for the suspected wards.
Ogbomo said that the APC had it “on good authority” that topmost Edo State Government officials were “still mounting pressure on Independent National Electoral Commission to cancel more wards, including Umaza and Ofunama.
“While we are condemning the total cancellation of Nikorogha Ward where the returning officer declared a result and even signed to an avidavit that the election was peaceful, INEC wants to further play on our intelligence”
“Any further attempt to cancel other wards to pave way for Governor Obaseki to install his party’s candidate in the elections will meet stiff resistance.
“Governor Godwin should go and face his constituency where he is still struggling to win and not impose his candidate on Ovia South-West people through the back door.
“INEC should be reminded that the Commission is a federal establishment and not an arm of the Edo state Government House that Governor Obaseki can use as he likes”, he warned
In a swift reaction, the INEC Director of Voters Registration and Publicity, Edo State, Timidi Wariowe, said the alarm is a lie, adding that the supplementary election would not hold in any ward/unit not uploaded on the Commission’s website.
“INEC is not working with anyone. Any decision taken by the Commission was based on the returning officer’s report and where Supplementary elections will be held have been uploaded on INEC website, anything other than that is a lie”, Wariowe said.
It would be recalled that after the March 18 House of Assembly elections, INEC cancelled the entire results of Inikorogha Ward in the constituency due to some electoral infractions committed during the election.
