Four days after the Edo State governorship election, leaders of seven riverine communities in Ward 10, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of the state, have declared that they were still waiting for the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to bring voting materials to the area so that they could vote.

Leaders of the mainly Itsekiri communities: Ajamimogha, Ajoki, Kolokolo, Ajatiton, Ikara, Abiala One and Abiala Two, said they waited to no avail for the arrival of voting materials to their communities on Wednesday. But they were shocked to discover that figures were appropriated to the communities wherein they did not vote.

At a venue in Ajamimogha, where leaders of the communities gathered, the community head of Ajamimogha, Pa Edwin Otikperi, said nothing could be farther from the truth that election was held in the area, adding that it was the first time in recent times they would be disenfranchised.

Another community leader and chairman of the Itsekiri Solidarity Movement, Dennis Otikperi, alleged that voting materials meant for the area were hijacked at Ologbo by an individual (names withheld), who they said led a group to thumprint the ballot papers and returned them to Benin.

He said: “Itsekiris and Ijaws in these communities are here today to say that voting materials did not get here in the riverine communities of Ward 10, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area. Most surprising, INEC still went ahead to announce the results of an election that was never conducted.



“I have written a petition and it has been acknowledged by the Electoral Officer. We want the whole world to know this. We heard that voting materials were stopped at a side of the river by the backyard of one persons (names withheld) and thumprinted.

“We sent our people there to find out and stop them. Our people were, however, chased away from the place by police and army, who accompanied the people. They could not record them because their phones were seized and thrown into the water. We have seven communities in these places. These communities have 15 units and we have over 10,000 votes here. I just want the whole nation to know this.”

The community leaders were joined by the women, who took journalists to the Ajamimogha Community Hall, where they said voting was supposed to take place, insisting that they did not vote on Wednesday.

An ex-militant in the community, ‘General’ Roland Abanara, also corroborated the claims, claiming that the people, who prevented them from voting, caged him at his hotel room on the election day.



He alleged, “That very day, they sent army officers to my hotel at Ologbo. They took my phones and made sure that I was useless until about three. The APC people took the ballot papers and thumprinted everything and said that we voted.”

Edo: 5 candidates reject election results

Five governorship candidates of the political parties that participated during last Wednesday’s Edo State governorship election have called for the cancellation of the results of the election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The candidates insisted that the figures INEC declared and displayed during the announcements of the results were in complete variance with those their agents and observers obtained from the polling units across the state.

The candidates were Mr Frank Ukonga of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); Andrew Igwemoh of the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD); Dr Omorogieva Gbajumo, of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); Mr Thompson Osadolor of the Kowa Party and Ishaka Paul of the Action Alliance (AA).

At a press conference in Benin City during the weekend, chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC), Mr Frank Ukonga of the NNPP, said INEC falsified the results to favour the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The results that INEC made public do not tally with what most, if not all, our agents came back home with. We are calling for the cancellation of the entire election because INEC gave APC the PDP votes,” he said.

Another candidate, Mr Andrew Igwemoh of the ACD, said there were glaring errors in the figures computed by INEC in an election that was marred by open exchange of money between party agents and voters.

“I am calling for the cancellation of the results, especially that of Etsako West Local Government Area because what transpired on the field is not what INEC made public. The mathematical errors are too obvious to be ignored,” he stated.

Dr Omorogieva Gbajumo said Nigerians are wondering how INECcame up with about 66,000 missing votes whereas voters voted as soon as they were accredited.

“It is clear that the votes declared by INEC are not correct. Even parties that were not on the ballot papers were allocated some votes by the electoral commission, which shows that something does not add up,” Gbajumo noted.

He said that it was curious that INEC used lecturers from the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, who were obliged to do the bidding of their vice chancellor as Chief Returning Officer, instead of personnel from diverse institutions.

Mr Osadolor was of the view that since no voter went home after being accredited and there was a generally peaceful election across the state, INEC had no business voiding the votes it voided.

It was the opinion of Mr Ishaka Paul that INEC’s results were prepared before the actual election, arguing that sensitive electoral materials had been sent out by the commission. before the election was postponed from September 10 to September 28.

The candidates vowed to continuein their advocacy for the cancellation of the elections so that the will of Edo people will be upheld.

donphilopus:
Coming from Tribune? Abeg eeee

Redoil:
onoru avu dashi kureshi yimi

kenny987:
They will rig and over-rig. This is just a clear example of a dullard using expo and then proceeds to copy everything including the name and matric number of another student. How can a large area like this be disenfranchised yet have results announced for them as having voted? I am sure if forensic experts are called to examine the ballot papers, it will be discovered that only a few thumbprints appear repeatedly over 50,000 or more ballot papers while the real voters are either disenfranchised or have their votes thrown aside because it is not in favour of one party or the other.