As Edo awaits new governor
Despite the combined warning by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police that those who would attempt to engage in any form of malfeasance would meet their waterloo, allegations of open money-sharing and vote-buying trailed the election yesterday.
Ahead of the gubernatorial election, the INEC and security agencies had held several stakeholder meetings, where some threat words were issued against those who may be tempted to run afoul of the law before, during and after the exercise, but there were indications yesterday that the election, which was largely violence-free, witnessed other forms of manipulations.
The INEC, which had promised to deliver free and fair election apparently, looked the other way as certain elements did everything to compromise voters.
While decrying seeming shabby preparations of the INEC as reflected in faulty card readers and late commencement of voting in his strongholds, Governor Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said: “You can see cars parked with a lot of cash being disbursed to people buying votes, and it seems to be normal practice, but we are not perturbed as people know what to do. Cash can’t buy their future.”
Our correspondent, however, reported that the Edo election did not wear the violent colour of the November 16,2019 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, where armed thugs operated freely and visited terror on opposition supporters.
Obaseki, decries INEC’S shabby preparations
…Alleges deliberate election manipulation in own stronghold
Edo State Governor and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Godwin Obaseki has expressed displeasure over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s inadequate preparations for the state governorship election of Saturday, September 19.
Obaseki said this after casting his vote at Ward 04, Unit 19 in Oredo Local Government Area, Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Obaseki, accompanied by his wife, Betsy, arrived at his polling unit located at Emokpae Primary School in Oredo Local Government Area of the state, alongside his wife at 10:30am but refused to jump the queue. He finally voted at about 11:50am, after over one hour of waiting on the queue.
“I expected better preparation on the part of those saddled with the responsibility to conduct this election. To wait for one and a half hours on the queue before exercising my franchise is a bit disappointing,” Obaseki said.
“Given that this is a sole day’s election, I expected better planning and preparation and resources should have been put into this election.
“At the last presidential election, in my polling unit, there were two polling points which eased the burden on voters. You all are witnesses to how long it has taken.
“The card reader here is working slowly, and this is the situation in all the major voting centres in Oredo Local Government Area of the state as I speak.
“At Garrick Memorial School, I understand that over 500 voters are already stranded because they can’t vote due to slow processing of the card reader.
“One would have expected that INEC will have deployed more card readers and more voting points in high density polling centres,” he said.
Responding to allegation of vote-buying at polling units, the governor said that the security agencies are not doing what they assured Edo people and Nigerians before the election.
“The security agencies assured us that they won’t allow anybody who doesn’t have business of voting into a particular place to be there, but they are working contrary to what they promised us,” Obaseki said.
Obaseki lamented the recurrence of issues that had marred several elections in the country, saying there were people sharing monies to voters.
Recall that hours into the election yesterday, Obaseki, had raised the alarm over an alleged manipulation of election in his strongholds.
His media aide, Crusoe Osagie in a statement made available to newsmen, had
alleged that “there is deliberate election manipulation in areas where the candidate of the PDP and governor of Edo State is popular. Suddenly, card readers are not working in areas where Governor Godwin Obaseki is very popular.”
He further alleged that “Voters are being disenfranchised and we are constrained to say that this is sabotage.”
“Specifically, in Oredo Ward 1, Unit 20 and other places where the Governor is clearly popular, the card readers are not working. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should prove to Edo voters that it can conduct a credible election in Edo State,” he said.
Our correspondent gathered that while the exercise commenced early as scheduled in some places, it was very late in some others. Obaseki waited for over one hour before casting his vote, a situation his party alleged was a deliberate attempt to manipulate the election in his stronghold. There were manifest faulty card readers, among others.
Ize-iyamu commends INEC, confident of victory
Osagie Ize-iyamu, candidate of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in the election, commended the INEC for peaceful conduct of the electoral process.
Ize-iyamu, who spoke with journalists, expressed the hope that he would win the election.
“I am confident of victory across the 18 LGAS of the State,” he said.
Ize-iyamu added that he would win the election ‘’if the peaceful situation in his unit was the same everywhere’’.
He expressed the hope after casting his vote at about 9:30 a.m. at polling unit 26, ward 5 in Iguododo community, Orionhwon Local Government Area of the state.
According to him, “The accreditation is very easy; I have done that and they gave me the ballot paper. Where the ballot box is placed is covered and that means you can vote with some level of privacy.
”I cannot say that what is happening here is happening all over the state because the communication is not very good. I am happy I have been able to vote. I am very confident of winning and I just hope what is happening here is replicated all over the state.”
Fourteen (14) political parties presented candidates for the election, including the two front-runners, Ize-iyamu and the incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki, contesting on the
PDP platform.
He also commended INEC for adhering to the Covid-19 protocol.
“The process is good and going on smoothly; there is no thuggery and violence, the place is peaceful and calm.
“I am happy that INEC has a thermometer to check the temperature and they also give out face masks to our people.
“We encourage our people to come out in batches so they can strictly adhere to the Covid-19 protocols of social distances.”
Shaibu sees victory for PDP
Philip Shaibu, Edo State deputy governor and running mate of the governorship candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed the hope that the party would win the election.
Shaibu made the remarks shortly after casting his vote at ward 11, unit 5, at about 10:30am at Azama Primary School, Jattu in Etsako West Local Government Area.
“I am optimistic that we will win the election. You know, I am a man of the people and we have a technocrat as a governor; people who ordinarily would not have come are out to vote; so, I am expecting victory for the party.
“I have never lost election; I am a grassroots politician and a man of the people. The crowd would have been more than this but I think as times goes on, people will turn up for the election
“Don’t forget this is my community and whether there is gun shot or not they must stand by me,” he said.
He also expressed satisfaction with the turnout of voters, adding however that “it would have been more if not for initial tension that followed the electioneering”.
While commending the electorate for conducting themselves peacefully, he however, noted that he cannot say what will transpire later in the day.
“But you know at this time of election, things are usually peaceful, thing get worse during collation of result.
“I heard that in some strongholds of the governor, card readers are not working well, but I am yet to confirm that,” he added.
Audu, APC deputy governorship candidate, hopeful of victory
Gani Audu, deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has expressed the optimism that the election was for his party to lose. He expressed the optimism after casting his vote at 11:10am at unit 13, ward 7 located at Ughiole Primary School, Aviele, Etsako
West Local Government.
Audu commended the process and the way and manner the electorate conducted themselves.
He said there was no doubt in his mind that the APC would win the election because the state was an APC state.
“You can see, Edo is an APC state. I don’t have any doubts at all that we will win this election; APC will win this election at the end of the day. No doubt about. You will see the result after 5pm today.
“The process is okay; I just came, used the Card Reader, accreditation was done and I voted, very simple.
The turnout is massive. In fact, I am seeing the turn out in this for the first time in the history of elections in this village. The turnout is massive and it is fine,” he said.
Bad state of card readers hampered process - Oshiomhole
Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State has criticised the conduct of the ongoing gubernatorial election in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Oshiomhole, the immediate past national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressed disaffection in an interview with journalists after voting at about 10:55 a.m, in his Ward 10 (Uzairue North East), polling unit 1 of Etsako West local government area in Iyamho area of Uzairue.
He complained about the bad state of card readers in several polling units in his constituency, saying that it slowed down voting process.
“The only bad eggs are most card readers, they are not functioning properly, thereby slowing down the process,” he said.
The former governor, however, commended the efforts of security operatives and praised the electorate for maintaining calm and order in the course of the voting processes.
He further charged the security officials not to lose guard and watch out for any act of thuggery,
“There are speculations that criminals will arrive to cause intimidation towards the collation time,” he added.
Oshiomhole is backing the APC candidate, Osagie Ize- Iyamu, against the incumbent governor and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Godwin Obaseki.