The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the result of the September 19 governorship election in Edo State. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier announced the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Governor Godwin Obaseki as the winner of the election after securing 307, 955 votes, while the Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress polled 223,619. But the APC has alleged a foul lay in the election, saying some of the figures announced were fabricated. While rejecting the results of the election, the Chairman of the APC Media Campaign Council, John Mayaki, alleged “strong-arm tactics”. In a terse statement in which he urged supporters of the party to stay calm while the party leaders determine the next move, Mayaki said, some members o...
Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on its performance at the just concluded Sept. 19, governorship election in Edo state. Some of the residents who spoke with newsmen, in Abuja expressed their joy that the election was relatively peaceful and that INEC deserved commendation for its innovations. A businessman, Mr Christopher Chidi, said although there were logistics challenges in few places, INEC’s performance was an improvement over previous elections. Chidi said that one of the innovations that made the election success was the introduction of the election “Result Viewing Portal” recently launched by INEC. “The portal has made it difficult for politicians to alter election results at the collation war...
The governor of Rivers State and the Edo Guber Election Campaign Council Chairman, Nyesom Wike, has said the Peoples Democratic Party (APC) is satisfied with the voting process in Edo State so far. Wike through his Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, via his twitter handle and Facebook page posted; “there was minimal violence recorded because of the proactive measures deployed by the security agencies”. According to him; “there was need for both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies to ensure that nothing scuttles the remaining stages. “Like I have said before, election is not only about voting, the votes should be counted, then you proceed to collation stages; ward, local and state government levels. The collation stag...
The governor of Rivers State and the Edo Guber Election Campaign Council Chairman, Nyesom Wike, has said considering the voting process and methodology employed in Edo State 2020 Guber election, the poll may likely be the best in the history of Nigeria. Wike through his Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, via his twitter handle and Facebook page posted; “there was minimal violence recorded because of the proactive measures deployed by the security agencies”. “This may likely be the best election ever conducted in the history of Nigeria. But they must allow the process to continue to the end. Otherwise, they will destroy it. “If it is APC that has won, let it be so. If it is PDP that has won, let it also be so. But I must tell that we are happy with what we hav...
File Photo The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council for Edo State governorship election, Sunday has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release the Edo election results, saying that it will resist attempts to declare the election which was held on Saturday inconclusive. Chairman of the party’s National campaign council and Rivers State governor, Mr. Nyeson Wike, who disclosed this to journalists in Benin City cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against such move. Wike alleged that the INEC returning officer for Orhionmwon local government has disappeared after supervising collation of results in the area. He saids, “We call on INEC and to let the general public know that the man is locked up in an office in INEC complex.” Offi...
The Centre for Democracy and Development on Saturday condemned the high incidence of vote-trading recorded in the Edo State governorship election. The organisation said reports from its observers on the field showed that politicians, in an attempt to circumvent the electoral process, used young girls as their contact with the voters for the trading. It lamented that votes were traded for cash gifts from N1,000 to N15,000. The Director of CDD, Idayat Hassan, who said these during a press briefing on the preliminary report on the election said it was quite worrisome that “young girls were used for indirect vote-buying during the election.” She said, “We saw largely vote-buying in the Edo election, the most worrisome trend in this election is the level of sophistication at which politicians e...
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the Chairman of the PDP National Campaign Council for the Edo Governorship election has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make sure the collation of the election is monitored and go well just like the election itself. Governor Wike who commended the commission and the security agencies during a press briefing on Saturday evening added that though they have done when during the voting, they must complete their jobs to the end. “We don’t expect the election to be 100 % perfect and there was no report of violence so far but I’m still worried. “So I’m calling on the INEC to move straight to the coalition Centre which is the critical aspect of this election before I can actually say INEC has done well or not. “We do not want a...
Some Presiding Officers in the Sept.19, governorship election in Edo and an international Observer team, Centre for Strategic Conflict Management, have commended the peaceful electoral process in Oredo Ward 4. They gave the commendation at the on-going governorship election on Saturday in Benin. Newsmen report that the Oredo Ward 4 is the voting point of the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki. A presiding officer in the Ward 4 polling unit 25, Jonathan Ayo, commended the electorate for conducting themselves peacefully and in an orderly manner during accreditation and voting. According to him, the process so far has been smooth, with everything working well. ”The card readers are working perfectly well today; we have not had any issue of failure of card reader today. “The voters are conduct...
Barely 24 hours to the Governorship election in Edo State, Yiaga Africa, through the Watching The Vote citizens movement, has deployed its Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology for the election. According to Yiaga Africa, the PVT is an advanced election observation methodology that employs well-established statistical principles and sophisticated information technologies in providing timely and accurate information on the conduct of accreditation, voting, and counting, and it independently verifies the official governorship results as announced by the Independent National Election Commission, INEC. In a statement jointly signed by the Chair of Yiaga Africa election observation mission for Edo State, Dr Aisha Abdullahi, Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Guinea and former African Union Com...
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to make Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State a model. Wike, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Campaign Council for the poll, spoke during a live television programme in Port Harcourt. A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, quoted the governor as saying that the outcome of the election would provide hope for 2023 general election. He said: “Everyone that loves this country should ensure that tomorrow’s election is credible, free and fair. “The police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should show Nigerians that they can support credible elections. “INEC should ensure that result sheets are not in the hands of i...
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has deployed no fewer than 13,3111 personnel alongside 60 sniffer dogs to ensure security during the Sept. 19 Edo governorship election. Mr Abdullahi Gana, Commandant General NSCDC, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen by the Corps Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mr Emmanuel Okeh on Wednesday in Abuja. Gana revealed that the deployed personnel were drawn from the Corps Headquarters and its commands in Kogi, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta and Ondo state. He said that the deployed staff would complement personnel of its command in Edo and the zonal command in Benin. He said that the deployment was to ensure that every act of electoral malpractice, violence and other social vices that could affect the smooth conduct of the el...
Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, adjourned to October 14, to commence hearing in the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking the disqualification of Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu from the September 19 governorship election in Edo State. Justice Mohammed fixed the date following an agreement by parties to hear the suit after the court’s vacation period. The court had last week adjourned to September 16 for hearing in the application against the suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the court’s jurisdiction being a vacation court to entertain the suit. When the matter came up, on Wednesday, counsel to the plaintiff, Chief Ken Mozia (SAN), informed the court that the matter for the day was the hearing of the APC’s objec...