Governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of denying the party’s agents access to the collation centre while those of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were allowed, warning the commission not to violate the will of the people.
Addressing journalists in Benin on Sunday at the party’s situation room, the Governor of Adamawa State and chairman of the PDP governorship campaign council, Ahmadu Fintiri, alleged that there were clear cases of fraud in several local government areas by INEC, with an alleged view to favouring the APC.
The governor said, “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 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 areas for the completion of the collation exercise. Upon arrival, agents of the PDP were not allowed into the INEC state office for the exercise, but the agents of the APC were allowed unfettered access.”
He alleged that the results from Wards 7 and 11 in Etsako West LGA were not delivered following shooting at the LG collation centre bringing the process to an end.
He explained that he state office of INEC was cordoned off by the police, forcing the Edo Governor Godwin Obaseki toi protest before he was allowed into the centre to register the displeasure of the PDP.
Governor Fintiri claimed that the authentic results announced before the collation exercise were truncated.
“We hereby demand a 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.”
The collation and announcement of the result which was delayed has begun.
