JUST-IN: PDP Govs Kick Over ‘Interruption’ Of Collation Of Edo Gov’ship Poll Results

The chairman of the National Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Edo State governorship election and governor of Adamawa State, Umaru Fintiri, on Sunday, demanded the immediate restoration of the collation process of the exercise in accordance with the Electoral Act and the INEC Rules and Regulations.

Governor Fintiri spoke on behalf of other PDP Governors while addressing journalists at the Edo Gubernatorial Election Situation Room located at the Government House, Benin City, on Sunday morning.

He noted that “any other illegal and unlawful action going forward will be a violation of the will of the people and an abuse of the Electoral Act 2022.”

Governor Fintiri, flanked by the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki; governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori; Taraba State governor, Kefas Agbu; Edo State PDP governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, and the Director General of PDP Campaign Council in the State, Mathew Iduoriyekemwen, said: “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 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.”

He, however, announced the collated election results in their possession at the point of the alleged truncation of the collation exercise.

According to the PDP Governors, the results 12 local government areas included:

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

Iigueben:
APC – 8,407
PDP – 8,470

Etsako Central:
APC – 10 990
PDP – 8,618

Orhionmwon:
APC – 16,059
PDP: 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 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,” Fintiri declared.

He added that if the alleged illegality was allowed to stand, it will be one of the worst election in the history of democratic governance in Nigeria, alleging that the exercise was characterised with ‘massive vote writing’ and intimidation by security agencies.