#EdoDecides2024: APC speaks on Obaseki’s visit to INEC office in Benin

The All Progressives Congress has accused Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State of trying to stir up violence by visiting the collation centre in Benin city, the state capital while the collation of results across the various wards and local government areas was still ongoing.

The party’s Director of Publicity in Edo State, Oroboda Omo-0jo, stated this while speaking to News Central Television on Sunday morning, insisting that there are insinuations that Mr Obaseki’s visit was to compromise the INEC officials.

He said the governor’s action needed to be condemned, while wondering how the governor found his way into the INEC office.

He said: “I think his action needs to be condemned by the media, especially because every stakeholder in this process must speak out so that the battle does not become that of the man with the deepest pockets or the man that has the most element of violence”.

He added that the Edo state people are determined to vote out the ruling party in the state.

“He just went there to go and stir violence, but thank God it ended peacefully. Report says that he crept into the office last night. We have pictures and everything that he forced his way up. There were even allegations that he went there to try and compromise some of the INEC staff. Why would a state executive, a man that occupies such an executive position, go there and stir violence. And this goes a long way (to show) that he was trying to foment trouble and keep to his promise that the election will be a do or die process,” he said.

Backstory

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Obaseki, whose tenure ends in November, visited the INEC office to protest the collation process, which he and his party, the PDP, alleged had been compromised against them.

Mr Obaseki held a four-hour meeting with INEC officials and the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Frank Mba, at the INEC office. He left the INEC headquarters around 4:47 a.m.

The governor’s visit heightened tensions as the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, who also visited the INEC office, accused Obaseki of behaving like a thug.

INEC says the final collation of results begins at 11 a.m, as security personnel ordered journalists out of the hall.

Meanwhile, there was a disruption during the collation of results for Oredo and Ikpoba/Okha local government areas after INEC officials and election observers were teargassed.

TVC reported that the collation of results for the two local government areas have been moved to the collation centre in Benin city. The PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, has raised concerns over this, accusing INEC and the police of complicity in an alleged attempt to subvert the election and “the will of the Edo state people”.

Election observer group, Yiaga Africa, said on Sunday that the collation of local government’s results at the state headquarters violates the established procedure for results collation.

There are 17 candidates on the ballot the election but the major contenders are three major candidates; Olumide Akpata (Labour Party), Asue Ighodalo (PDP), and Monday Okpebholo (APC).

With 2,629,025 registered voters, the outcome of this election will determine who replaces Mr Obaseki when his tenure expires in November.