By Myke Uzendu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cautioned politicians to respect the rules guiding the ongoing collation and declaration of election result in Edo state, assuring that the commission will ensure level playing ground for all the actors and make necessary reviews.
Recall that Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State had stormed the head office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Edo State in the wee hours of Sunday, accompanied by his security aides where he held a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) that lasted for over an hour.
While the governor was in the REC’s office, some supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) protested to the INEC office, saying it was improper for Obaseki to be meeting with INEC officials during the election. The protest leader was later allowed to join the meeting which held behind closed doors.
Responding to the development, National Commissioner & Member Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna in a statement on Sunday reassured all the stakeholder that the Commission will not compromise the will of the people and will carry out necessary reviews if the process is in anyway compromised.He said, “Following the conclusion of voting yesterday, the Commission activated the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal and uploaded the Polling Unit results in earnest. The same results have also been collated from all the 192 Wards. Similarly, collation has been concluded in most of the Local Government Areas and the designated officials are already at the collation centre in Benin City or on their way. We are set to commence State-level collation.
“However, the Commission received a deeply disturbing report from our Resident Electoral Commissioner of a threat to our office in Okpoba Okha Local Government Area yesterday, resulting in a stampede in which one of our officials was injured. We are similarly disturbed by the overnight presence and demonstrations by some political actors and their supporters at our State Head Office ahead of the commencement of final collation. These actions are uncalled for. Nobody should disrupt the process at any stage and no one will be allowed to benefit from lawlessness.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the collation of result will proceed as provided by the Electoral Act 2022 and our regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections. There is a mechanism for redressing complaints during collation, including the power to review results declared under duress. The Commission will not hesitate to invoke such powers where necessary.
“Accredited party agents, observers and the media should be granted unimpeded access to all collation centres.
“The Commission calls on the security agencies to continue to maintain the same vigilance and professionalism that led to the peaceful conduct of the election as we conclude the process”.
