#EdoDecices2024: Police walk Obaseki out of INEC office
The political atmosphere in Edo State reached a boiling point early Sunday morning when Governor Godwin Obaseki was forcibly removed from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office by Deputy Inspector-General of Police, DIG Frank Mba.
The incident occurred around 4:10 AM, shortly after Obaseki arrived unannounced at the collation centre to protest alleged irregularities in the results from several local government areas, including his own Oredo constituency.
Obaseki’s unexpected visit drew attention as he sought to address what he claimed were anomalies in the election results. However, he was informed that his presence was not required, leading to his eventual removal from the premises by a combined team of police and military personnel.
APC National Secretary Surajudeen Basiru commented, “He is not a candidate. He has no reason to be here,” characterizing Obaseki’s actions as an abuse of office. Earlier in the night, Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, also faced a similar dismissal from the INEC office.
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Tensions mounted as members of the APC rallied around Okpebholo’s running mate, Honourable Dennis Idahosa, who led protests demanding the governor’s exit from the premises. The PDP, for its part, accused the APC of exerting pressure on INEC and the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Anugbum Onuoha, to suspend the collation process, claiming this would allow for the manipulation of results.
“The APC is mounting pressure on the INEC Chairman and Edo State REC to suspend the collation process,” said PDP spokesman Debo Ologunagba. He urged the commission to resist any attempts to alter the results obtained from the polling units.
In response to allegations of discrepancies, INEC stated that it had received reports of incorrect figures on polling unit result sheets and vowed to investigate these claims thoroughly. “This is the second complaint we have received out of the 4,519 polling units used for the election,” the commission noted, assuring that any proven infractions would be addressed.
As the situation develops, both the APC and PDP remain on high alert, with fears of potential disruptions continuing to loom over the electoral process in Edo State.
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