Flood: APC calls for cancellation of voter registration in Edo, alleges manipulation

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun had in a statement on Saturday said some of the voter enrollment machines already configured for the forthcoming Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) are affected with movable and immovable items submerged, including vehicles parked at the premises as well as office furniture and equipment.

APC chairman in Edo Mr. Jarret Tenebe in a statement said the APC was compelled to call for the cancellation of the CVR exercise because it observed that there were alleged compromised INEC Officials and Deployment of Biased Ad Hoc Staff for the CVR exercise among other issues raised by the main opposition party.

“We have received credible intelligence indicating that certain officials within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been compromised and are colluding with the outgoing Edo State government to manipulate the voter registration process in favor of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP),” Tenebe said.

“Deployment of Biased Ad Hoc Staff, we believe the decision by Governor Godwin Obaseki to deploy Edo teachers, civil servants, as well as members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as ad hoc staff for the CVR exercise is unacceptable to us. These personnel have been compromised to favor the PDP.”

Tenebe added that the APC is worried over alleged manipulation of Voter Registration Data saying, “We have reports that the outgoing Governor Obaseki and his associates are actively engaged in efforts to manipulate voter registration data to inflate the voters register in favor of the PDP.

“This includes attempts to register underage voters and transfer voters from neighboring states, like Delta, Lagos, Ondo and others to distort the Voters Register and disenfranchising legitimate voters on election day.”

According to him, INEC must address the aftermath of the flooding squarely and restore its operations to full functionality before resuming any electoral activities.

He said any attempt to proceed with the CVR exercise under current conditions would not only jeopardize the integrity of the voter registration process but also undermine the trust and confidence of the Edo electorate in the electoral system.

“We reject the planned use of the Ikpoba Okha INEC LGA office located at 16 Customs Road, off Benin/Auchi Road, Benin City as temporary “State Headquarters” for the Commission so the CVR can go on,” Tenebe said.

“We also condemn the plan of bringing in additional machines from neighboring states including Delta and Bayelsa.

“In the existing circumstances, we believe the wise option for INEC is the immediate cancellation of the CVR exercise and prioritize the safety and well-being of its staff and the general public more than anything else.”

Edo state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, said that the state government has nothing to do with the manipulation of the CVR, adding that APC were afraid of the impending defeat at the September 21 poll, noting that their candidate, who cannot express himself, has become unsaleable.

Nehikhare said, “The allegation they made against INEC is like that of a man who is not prepared to write an exam that has been fixed for a certain date. We are embarrassed that this is the quality of opposition the APC is offering in the state.

“We want to say as a government, we are interested in our people coming out to register during the CVR exercise. Also, political parties must encourage the people to come out to register because it is the vote of the people that decides who govern them.”

Also responding, Head voters’ education, INEC, Edo office, Timidi Timidi Wariowei, said the idea of casting aspersion or unwarranted allegations against the commission is not the best.

He said they held a stakeholders’ meeting last week with an APC representative present but did not say anything.

“if the APC or any other political parties has any grievances against the commission or its staff they have the right to petition the agency,” Wariowei said.

“Our doors are open. It is not good to antagonize the commission when we have not done anything wrong.”