By Ihechi Godwill
Baring a last minute change of mind, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will declare the Edo State Governorship election inconclusive. The Commission may order for a re-run election in at least two local government areas in the State.
A highly dependable INEC official who was responding to inquiries from our reporter but who would not want to be officially quoted, said if there were genuine and proven cases of violence and a will to subvert the peoples choice, the commission would have no choice but to cancel results of such areas.
Late Wednesday night, Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo, Mr Sam Olumekun, said collation of results for the governorship election in the state which ought to have started immediately after the election would commence on Thursday. Olumekun disclosed this after a closed-door meeting with a National Commissioner and two Resident Electoral Commissioners at 11.20 p.m.
He, however, did not give reasons for the shift in date for the exercise.
At the INEC office, party agents, Journalists and election observers were seen waiting for the commencement of collation of results from the local government areas.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has raised the alarm that there were plans plans to manipulate the results of the Edo State
Gubernatorial election.
PDP in a statement by Prince Dayo Adeyeye, its National Publicity Secretary, said officials of the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) in tandem with security agents are denied journalists
access to the INEC Collation Centre in Benin City with the view of altering the results.
“This action is a manifestation of the plots hatched by the All
Progressives’ Congress to manipulate the election results about which we
have raised alarm several times.
“Furthermore, this action demonstrates the contempt and disdain
which the ruling APC has for the media, which is the fourth pillar of
democracy.
“We call on INEC and the relevant security agencies to reverse this
ill-advised decision and to grant journalists access to the INEC
Collation Centre to enable them carry out their professional duties of
monitoring the elections.
“We urge Nigerians to counsel INEC, APC and the relevant security
agencies to desist from further perpetuating actions capable of
derailing law and order in the State.”
It would be recalled that INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, recently explained why many of the elections conducted since he came on board are inconclusive.
According to him, it is because elections are getting better and votes are being made to count.
He added that the do-or-die mentality of politicians has compounded the issue because elections are now tightly fought, with slim margins of victory, unlike in the past when elections were won with landslide margins.
He explained that because of the tight results, cancellation of votes from polling units matter in determining who the winner would be and make elections inconclusive on the first ballot.
Mahmood said INEC had discovered that all instances of inconclusive elections were in areas where political players perpetrated violence and made the environment hazardous for the Commission’s staff and innocent voters.
He said: “There has been a revolution in our elections since 2015, particularly with the introduction of technology, but we haven’t come to grips with this reality. Elsewhere, it is normal to have this kind of (inconclusive) election. It is a requirement in democracy that votes must count, and people must ultimately determine who the winner is.”
One of the local governments were results are likely to be cancelled is Oredo LG.
After the collation of the results from all the units and wards in Oredo Local Government Area, unofficial results claimed PDP scored 55,368 and APC 22,110.
However, it was alleged that an aide of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Mr Osakpanwan Eriyo, AKA Nomoreless, led thugs to the collation centre, shooting sporadically in the process result sheets of the area were seized and carted away.