How INEC Relocated Collation Centre, Lock Out Agents – Fintiri, Narrates Attack on Officials in Etsako

The National Chairman of the Edo Peoples Democratic Party Governorship Campaign Council and the Governor of Adamawa State, Umaru Fintiri, has demanded the immediate restoration of the collation process in Saturday’s governorship election in accordance with the Electoral Act and the rules and regulations of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) for this election.

The Council, comprising PDP governors, while addressing newsmen at the Edo Gubernatorial Election Situation room in Government House, Benin City, noted that “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.”

Flanked by the governors of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, Kefas Ogbu of Taraba State, the PDP governorship Candidate, Asue Ighodalo, and the Director General of Edo State PDP Campaign Council, Mathew Iduoriyekemwen, Governor Fintiri reeled out what he claimed were collated results from 11 local governments “at the point of the truncation of the collation exercise”.

He noted that “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 centre 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.

“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”.

The PDP said if the illegality was allowed to stand, it would be one of the worst elections in the history of democratic governance in Nigeria. The party alleged that the exercise was characterised with massive vote-writing and intimidation by security agencies.