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- APC chairman, Imuse calls on INEC to prevail on Returning Officer
From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
A group of women from Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State protested on Monday against the declaration of the Ovia South West Constituency House of Assembly’s election as inconclusive by the Returning Officer, Professor Francis Omoruyi.
The women are calling for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare Sunday Aghedo as the winner of the election. According to the spokesperson for the women, Mrs Angela Okpame, “Hon Sunday Aghedo won the election, the result has been uploaded only for one man, Professor Omoruyi that wants to rub the name of INEC in the mud announced that the election was inconclusive.”
A petition by counsel to Aghedo, Ogbankwa Douglas, also stated that Aghedo won the election based on results declared at the wards by the “Returning Officers at the Ward, with copies of the prescribed Form EC8 Series, with no incidence whatsoever and with the results returned, being in full compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.”
The state chairman of the APC, Col David Imuse, called on INEC to prevail on Omoruyi to release the results and expressed surprise that the returning officer is from the same Iguobazuwa that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) hails from.
The protest occurred amidst allegations of irregularities and massive vote buying by agents allegedly loyal to Governor Godwin Obaseki in parts of Edo South senatorial district, Edo Central and Edo North. The chairman of the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) had previously called for an investigation into these allegations.
Receiving the protesters, the Head of Voter Education and Publicity, Timidi Wariowei, said he has listened to their complaints and the petition from Aghedo, which the Benin office of the INEC would send to its headquarters where a final decision on the matter would be taken.
