As Nigerians and Edo people await the results of the last Saturday governorship election in the state, the National Chairman of the PDP Campaign Council, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, on Sunday, alleged suppression of votes in three key populous local government areas in the state.
Fintiri who stated this during a press conference at the Situation room of the PDP in Benin listed the three local councils where votes were suppressed to include
Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba/Okha local government areas.
According to him, the collation process was violently disrupted in some other areas of the state, alleging that PDP agents were barred from entering collation centers while access was given to the All Progressives Congress (APC) agents.
Fintiri, who was flanked by Governor Godwin Obaseki and Taraba state governor, Agbu Kefas, alleged that APC in connivance with men of the Nigerian police, saying an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police stopped the collation of the affected local government areas and ordered the movement of all the results to the INEC office in Benin City.
He, however, explained 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.”
Fintiri stated further that “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 called for “the 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.”
He listed the results of the truncated collation point to include:
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
Igueben
APC – 5,407
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
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