Edo APC, INEC bicker over supplementary election

The Edo State All Progressives Congress, Ovia South-West Local Government Area chapter, has alleged that there are plans by the People’s Democratic Party-led government in the state to compromise the Independent National Electoral Commission on the April 15 supplementary election into the state House of Assembly.

Recall that after the March 18 House of Assembly elections, INEC cancelled the entire results of Inikorogha Ward in the constituency due some electoral infractions committed during the election.

The Ovia South-West Local Government Area APC Chairman, Emmanuel Ogbomo, said that it had it on good authority that the Edo PDP was planning to get INEC to cancel more results in the wards in the stronghold of the APC in the constituency to give undue advantage to the PDP at the supplementary election.

Ogbomo alleged on Friday that top Edo State Government officials, using a retired INEC director (name withheld), planned to get INEC to cancel more wards after the commission had announced the results for the wards.

Ogbomo said, “The APC had it on good authority that topmost Edo State Government officials are still mounting pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission to cancel more wards, including Umaza and Ofunama.

“While we are condemning the total cancelation of Nikorogha Ward where the returning officer declared a result and even signed to an affidavit that the election was peaceful, INEC wants to further play on our intelligence”

“Any further attempt to cancel other wards to pave the way for the PDP to install its candidate in the elections will meet stiff resistance.

“INEC should be reminded that the commission is a federal establishment and not an arm of the Edo State Government House,” he warned.

The APC, however, claimed that it was poised to win the constituency before the cancellation.

In his reaction, the INEC Director of Voters Registration and Publicity, Edo State Timidi Wariowe, dismissed the allegation as unfounded, stating that supplementary election would not hold in any ward/unit not uploaded on the commission’s website.