Five governorship candidates of the political parties that participated during last Wednesday’s Edo State governorship election have called for the cancellation of the results of the election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The candidates insisted that the figures INEC declared and displayed during the announcements of the results were in complete variance with those their agents and observers obtained from the polling units across the state.
The candidates were Mr Frank Ukonga of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); Andrew Igwemoh of the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD); Dr Omorogieva Gbajumo, of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); Mr Thompson Osadolor of the Kowa Party and Ishaka Paul of the Action Alliance (AA).
At a press conference in Benin City during the weekend, chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC), Mr Frank Ukonga of the NNPP, said INEC falsified the results to favour the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The results that INEC made public do not tally with what most, if not all, our agents came back home with. We are calling for the cancellation of the entire election because INEC gave APC the PDP votes,” he said.
Another candidate, Mr Andrew Igwemoh of the ACD, said there were glaring errors in the figures computed by INEC in an election that was marred by open exchange of money between party agents and voters.
“I am calling for the cancellation of the results, especially that of Etsako West Local Government Area because what transpired on the field is not what INEC made public. The mathematical errors are too obvious to be ignored,” he stated.
Dr Omorogieva Gbajumo said Nigerians are wondering how INEC came up with about 66,000 missing votes whereas voters voted as soon as they were accredited.
“It is clear that the votes declared by INEC are not correct. Even parties that were not on the ballot papers were allocated some votes by the electoral commission, which shows that something does not add up,” Gbajumo noted.
He said that it was curious that INEC used lecturers from the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, who were obliged to do the bidding of their vicechancellor as Chief Returning Officer, instead of personnel from diverse institutions.
Mr Osadolor was of the view that since no voter went home after being accredited and there was a generally peaceful election across the state, INEC had no business voiding the votes it voided.
It was the opinion of Mr Ishaka Paul that INEC’s results were prepared before the actual election, arguing that sensitive electoral materials had been sent out by the commission. before the election was postponed from September 10 to September 28.
The candidates vowed to continue in their advocacy for the cancellation of the elections so that the will of Edo people will be upheld.