Edo Decides: Why I Went to INEC Office – Governor Obaseki

At a press conference early Sunday morning by the People’s Democratic Party Governorship Election Situation Room addressed by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, Governor Godwin Obaseki explained his presence at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, clarifying that it was to extract information from the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, what the situation was with the collation process in respect of Saturday’s governorship election following reports by their party agents that the exercise had been moved to the state headquarters of INEC.

According to the visibly distraught governor, “At about 1 am, I got the report that collation was supposed to have been moved into the INEC head office. I also got the report from our agents that PDP agents were not allowed into the collation process. At that point in time, I called the REC to find explanation as to what was going on. There was no response. I then went to INEC to seek to meet with the REC to try and understand what steps the INEC was taking to continue the process of collation. When I got in there at about 2 am, I did not see any collation taking place. And the REC refused to come out to explain what the situation was.

‘Subsequently, the DIG of Police, Frank Mba came in and had a meeting with me where I explained that if INEC was postponing or stopping the collation process, then as part of their rules, they should inform the public or the citizens as to what was next. As at 3 am, there was no information from INEC as to what was going on or what was going to happen next. It was subsequently after my insistence and meeting with Mr. Frank Mba that INEC now released a statement at about 5 am this morning informing the public that collation process would start at 10 am this morning. So, my going there was essentially to obtain information from INEC because they have had refused to put any information in the public domain as to what was going to happen with the collation process”

Recall that an adamant Governor Obaseki was subsequently walked out of the INEC office by DIG Mba and some military men at about 4 am Sunday morning.