Edo poll: APC, PDP clash over rigging plot, Wike’s cousin as REC

Ahead of the September 21 Edo State governorship poll, the ruling party in the state the Peoples Democratic Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress are locked in a heated battle following allegations by the former that a former governor of the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, had concluded plans to rig the election in polling units around his hometown in Iyamho.

The State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, stated this during a press conference in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Sunday, claiming that the same scenario played out in the last election in 2020.

Nehikhare said, “We are aware of plans that have already been concluded by Senator Adams Oshiomhole to engage the Commander of Mopol 60 and his men who have been engaged to provide shield in the polling units around Senator Oshiomhole’s home in Iyamho in order to allow the Senator and his supporters take the ballot papers and all election materials into his premises and thumbprint all the ballot papers for APC, leaving other parties with no chances of getting fair votes. In the last elections, we gave this information but it was ignored. The BVAS report validated our report as 210 people were accredited but over 1000 votes were recorded.”

Nehikhare alleged that state government had uncovered massive production of masks and police uniforms by APC agents to veil their thugs to disrupt voting processes in units and wards where they knew they stood no chance of victory.

“Only recently, a chieftain of the APC wore one of those uniforms and the police even presented a defence for such wanton display of impersonation,” the commissioner stated.

“Having confirmed that they cannot win in Okpella, Lampese, Fugar, Ibillo and Agenebode, the APC has concluded plans to use thugs veiled in those masks and police uniforms which they produced to disrupt electoral process and intimidate voters in those areas.

“In Egor Local Government Area, the APC has gathered thugs in the home of a prominent APC leader as well as other houses in the neighborhood under the shield of the Textile Mill Police Station in order to disrupt the voting process in Egor Local Government Area.

“We also uncovered plans by the House of Representatives member representing Ovia Constituency who has engaged about 200 militants for the purpose of disrupting election materials and electoral officials in the riverine axis of the State beginning from Ologbo, Nikorogha, all the way to Siluko. We also understand that these militants have already been ferried into the state and lodged into various hotels. We are giving this information for the security agencies to act swiftly to arrest or dislodge these thugs and plans.

“We have also uncovered plans to redeploy all the security officials attached to the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, in order to leave him without protection and render him vulnerable as we head into the election as well as on Election Day.”

Speaking further, Nehikhare added, “We are calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu, to order the security agencies, especially the police to stop the attacks on unarmed and harmless Edo people and Nigerians who have done nothing wrong except that they want a free, fair and credible election so that they can vote for the candidate of their choice.

“We also call on the international community, embassies of the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union, as well as the Economic Community of West Africa States and the African Union to prevail on President Bola Tinubu so that the electorate in Edo can cast their votes in favour of whoever they believe is best to lead their state for the next four years.”

Responding to the allegations, the Director of Publicity, Edo APC Governorship Campaign Council, Orobosa Omo-Ojo, said the PDP and its governorship candidate Asue Ighodalo and Governor Obaseki were “suffering from horrific hallucinations.”

“In the past two weeks, Governor Godwin Obaseki, the PDP and Ighodalo have been exhibiting dangerous symptoms of hallucination, which has led to perceptions of having seen, heard, touched, tasted or smelled things that are hunting them. “The call by PDP and Obaseki for external help is akin to that of a misfit man who mischievously set his own house on fire and asking neighbours to save him from the inferno,” Omo-Ojo, a former commissioner in the state during Oshiomhole’s tenure as governor, said.

“The only thing that comes readily to mind is the ghost of late Inspector Onuh Akor who the Edo State Security Network murdered in cold blood on the order of the Edo State Government.

“In addition, the ghost of an imminent defeat on September 21 has become a horrible, nightmarish feeling for Obaseki and Asue, his godson. The reality of their inability to use the notorious ESSN to disrupt the scheduled election is responsible for their phantom make believe stories.

“Few days ago, Obaseki and Ighodalo confirmed the fear of Edo people when they refused to sign the peace accord organised by the Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee. By their action, the disgruntled PDP and its candidate showed to the world that the party intends to shoot its way to victory.

“Sadly for them, Edo people are ready to resist them, not minding the threats of ‘Nigeria will burn’ if the Independent National Electoral Commission refuses to write results for Ighodalo.

“Nigerians are reminded of Governor Obaseki’s recent charge to his ragtag supporters that the September 21, 2024 election is a ‘do or die’ contest the PDP must win. He shamelessly reminded his deflated party thugs that they will die if APC wins.

“Going by the prevailing scenario, Nigerians can tell who the merchants of violence are. For us in the All Progressives Congress, our cardinal goal is to sack the PDP from Edo State through the ballot and set our people free from the vise-grips of buccaneer capitalists that have ruined the state and mortgaged the future of Edo people.”

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday dismissed calls for the redeployment of the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Anugbum Onuoha, ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

On Thursday, Edo State PDP chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, in a protest letter to INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, called for the state REC, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha’s immediate redeployment, citing concerns over his past role as Commissioner and Special Adviser for Lands, Survey and Housing under Nyesom Wike’s administration as Rivers State governor.

“With the antecedents between these two, we are not comfortable that the Edo REC will conduct himself creditably before, during and after the election. The ties between these two are too close to ignore as they share familiarities and are also close associates,” the letter read in part.

Wike, now the FCT minister, was a staunch supporter of Obaseki during his campaign for a second term in office with the PDP four years ago, after the incumbent governor fell out with Oshiomhole in the APC.

However, both fell apart shortly after following an internal feud in Edo PDP which pitted  Obaseki against Dan Orbih and other chieftains of the party.

Wike, during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Friday, acknowledged the familial connection with Onuoha but emphasised that the state REC was capable of carrying out his duties impartially, without influence from family or political affiliations.

The minister, a PDP member, added that he would not support the party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who is being backed by the outgoing Governor Obaseki.

“I told them when they came to me that I am not going to support you, neither am I going to support anybody. The one I supported, it never helped anything. Rather I was insulted. I supported him the last time, what happened? I became a stupid man,” Wike said.

Responding to these concerns, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, urged the PDP to focus on the process of the election and not on the REC.

He said, “The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo State will not be redeployed. The governorship election will be conducted on 21st September 2024 in 4,519 polling units, not in the REC’s office.

“In the same manner, polling unit results will be declared by the respective Presiding Officers after the voting, ballot sorting and counting processes, in the presence of accredited party agents and other stakeholders. The PO will also take a picture of the PU result in each polling unit with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, and upload same to the INEC Result Viewing portal. This process is not the same as electronic voting or electronic transmission and collation of results. The IReV is for transparency purposes. The Nigerian constitution does not yet recognise electronic voting. Copies of the PU results will be given to accredited party agents.

“Thereafter, the various collation stages will be undertaken before the declaration of the final result at the State Collation Centre in Benin-City.

“The PDP should therefore focus on the process, not on the REC or other officials of the Commission. The conduct of the election and result collation activities will take place in the open and accredited party agents will witness every step.”

He stated that the commission would not give preference to a political party over the other.

“INEC does not rig elections. The current commission conducted two governorship elections in Edo State in 2016 and 2020 successfully and nobody accused us of rigging.

“We assure all the political parties, registered voters and other stakeholders that the Commission will provide a level playing field and not give any advantage to one political party or candidate over the other,” he added.

Also, INEC has said that the number of Permanent Voter Card holders would be made public on Monday (today).

The Edo State governorship election holds September 21 with leading candidates Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress and Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata vying to become the number one citizen of the state.

The commission had extended the collection date by three days when it announced that voters, who were yet to collect their cards, could do so from last Friday to Sunday.

When The PUNCH sought to know the number of PVC holders in the state, Head of Voters Education and Publicity, Edo INEC office, Timidi Wariowei, said the figures would be out as soon as the ICT department computed the figures together.

He noted that the former figure, which was not out before the extension was granted, would be added to the ones collected between Friday and Sunday, to get the numbers of voters that would determine the next Governor of Edo State.

He said, “I cannot give you a figure now as the collection of PVCs ended today (Sunday). The ICT department will compute all and give us the figure hopefully by Monday (today). The number of those who collected during the extension period will start coming in on Monday from the 18 local government areas in the state.”

The candidate of the Labour Party in the election, Olumide Akpata, has slammed Ighodalo and the APC candidate Senator Monday Okpebholo for not showing up at the governorship debate organised by the Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists and the Nigerian Election Debate Group.

Akpata called on Nigerians to insist that those aspiring to govern them must be made accountable to them.

He said, “Asue Ighodalo comes from the private sector like I do, but if I may ask, as chairman of board of several companies, did he employ any intending employee without an interview? This is simple logic.

“They have done this because they intend to win elections through violence and manipulation and not telling the people what they have for them. They feel there is no need coming out to tell Edo people why they should vote for them. This act must stop.

“I will implore the media to condemn this. I expect to see headlines from tomorrow condemning this total disrespect for Edo people.”

On her part, PRP’s Patience Ndidi-Key said people were giving the PDP and APC undue regard, saying it’s the reason they’ve taken the people for granted.

“It’s quite unfortunate that the two political parties copied what Tinubu did in 2023, where he declined to honour debate invitations but still won the election. I urge Edo people to stand against this.”

In his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of NEDG, Eddie Emessiri, condemned the absence of the candidates, noting that the platform was a crucial opportunity for the people of Edo to hear directly from the candidates.

He added, “Make no mistake, these actions are not only unreasonable but utterly unconscionable. It is a stark demonstration of the growing impunity within our political class, where candidates believe they can bypass debates and town hall meetings, deny you the information you need, and yet expect your vote. Why?”