Gov. Obaseki faults INEC preparations
Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, said he expected better preparations from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the Saturday’s governorship poll, after queueing for over an hour before voting.
Obaseki, who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the election, stated this, shortly after he cast his vote at 11:48a.m, having joinied the queue for hand washing at 10:24a.m.
According to him, to wait for one and half hours on the queue before exercising his franchise is a bit disappointing.
“Given that this is a sole day election, I expected a bit more planning and preparation, and resources should have been put into this election.
“During the last presidential election in my polling unit, there were two polling points which helped the body on voters. You all are witnesses of how long this has taken.
“The card reader is working very slowly, and this is the situation in all the major voting centers in Oredo Local Government Area of the state as I speak.
“In Garrick Memorial Secondary School, I understand that over 500 voters are already stranded because they can’t vote because of the slow processing of the card readers.
“One would have expected that INEC will have deployed more card readers and more voting points in highly numbered polling centers,” he said.
On the issue of vote buying at polling units, the governor said that the security agencies were not doing what they assured Edo people and Nigerians of, before the election.
“The security agencies assured us that they won’t allow anybody who don’t have business of voting in a particular place to be there, but they are working on the contrary to what they promised us.
“You can see cars parked with a lot of cash being disbursed to people and it seems to be normal practice, but we are not perturbed. People know what to do; cash can’t buy their future,” he added.
Security team investigates reports of gunshots
Heads of security for the Edo governorship election announce on Saturday that they have set out to investigate various areas and polling units where cases of gunshots were reported earlier during accreditation and voting.
Mr Adeleye Oyebade, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, who heads the Edo election Security Monitoring Team, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that they were moving to areas where they had earlier received complaints of gunshots.
Oyebade added that their visit was to also ensure that election activities were going on according to electoral laws.
NAN reports that though the electoral process has been peaceful, there were cases of gunshots in the morning of Saturday at Oza community, near Abudu in Orhiomwon Local Government Area, and Ologbo, a border town between Edo and Delta.
A member of one of the political parties at Ologbo in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area was said to have been allegedly shot by a suspected thug.
But the Enogie (traditional Head) of Ologbo Jason Akenzua, who confirmed hearing gunshots, said that the Divisional Police Officer for the area told him that the gunshots were from security operatives to disperse the unruly crowd in the area
No offender will go unpunished, police warn
Benin, Sept. 19, 2020 (NAN) Deputy Inspector-General of Police Adeleye Oyebade in charge of Edo Governoship Evening Security Monitoring Team, has warned that nobody who violated electoral laws would go unpunished.
Oyebade said this on Saturday in Benin, after inspecting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office where the final collation of the Edo governorship election results would take place.
He said that while election was still ongoing, the security agencies appealed to the electorate and major actors not to cross the line, but do the needful.
He explained that the inspection was to further strengthen what was on ground, adding that minor issues that had been brought before the security agencies were being handled.
He noted that every security agency in the state under the banner of Inter Agencies Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), were all involved in the election security to ensure free, fair and acceptable results at the end of the poll.
He said that security agencies were committed to ensure that the election was conducted peacefully, adding that nothing was too much to sacrifice for the success of the election.
He, however, appealed to those who had yet to vote to go and do so, and also called for patience from the electorate as the process continues.
Speaking on the allleged shooting of an electorate at Ologbo in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state and the alleged shooting at Oza, in Orhiomwon Local Government Area, Oyebade said that there was nothing of such.
Sorting, counting of votes start
Sorting and counting of votes in the Edo governorship election have begun in parts of Edo Central Senatorial District.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reports that some other parts in the state have concluded voting.
At Central Primary School, Ubiaja, Esan South East Local Government Ward 6, units 1 to 5, counting had been concluded in some units and results have been declared.
At Central Primary school, Emu, Esan South East Local Government Area, Ward 5, sorting and counting were ongoing as at the time of filing this report.
Similar situation was observed at Ward 2 Unit 8, Ikeken in Esan South East Local Governement Area of Edo.
NAN further reports that the process was generally peaceful in all the wards visited.
Gov. Tambuwal lauds Buhari on statesmanly call, directive
Sokoto Sept. 19, 2020 (NAN) Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari, on his statemanly call and immediate directive to agencies of government to ensure and guarantee free and fair election in Edo state.
Tambuwal, in a statement in Sokoto on Saturday, said that the President deserved commendation for his appeal to all stakeholders, including politicians involved in the election to ensure violence free election.
He said, “let me begin by commending the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari for his statesmanly call and appeal.
“This, given an immediate directive to agencies of government including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and all other stakeholders involved in the Edo election.
“That to ensure and guarantee free and fair; and, violence free election in Edo state; that is very commendable of Mr President.
“On that premise I, therefore, want to lend my voice to that of Mr President and other well meaning Nigerians; and members of the international community.
“This is to further appeal and call on the electoral body and the security agencies; and the good people of Edo and all stakeholders involved in this very important election to continue to observe rules and regulations,” he said.
Tambuwal added that Nigerians were closely monitoring the ongoing exercise in Edo State.
“As such, I want to appeal that nobody, individual or agency of government should tamper with the outcome and results of the election being conducted.
“This is very important so that we can have a very convincing outcome that the people of Edo have exercised their franchise without any hindrance and in a very peaceful manner,” Tambuwal added.
Police commission lauds security presence at voting centres
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has lauded the security presence at the various voting centres visited by a team from the commission deployed to monitor police conduct during Saturday’s governorship election in Edo.
The Head, Press and Public Relations of the commission, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.
He said there was enough presence of police and other security agencies, adding that the continuous deployment of unarmed security personnel, however, exposed the electoral process to threats in some locations.
Ani said the team from the commission covered the three senatorial zones and visited 132 polling units in nine Local Government Areas in the state.
“The commission received 53 calls and 32 text messages to its three dedicated telephone numbers for the election.
“There was an average of three police men in several polling units visited while in many of the units in Edo North, there was an average of seven to 10,” he said.
He said police men in the polling units visited “were professional, courteous and arrived at their places of assignment in good time.”
Ani, however, said the police were overwhelmed in some places where there was large voters’ turn out.
According to him, most of the complaints received from callers were mainly cases of vote buying, snatching of ballot boxes arising from the inability of the police to offer any resistance and skeletal shooting incidents.
He said there were also complaints from some of the participating police officers who said they were yet to receive allowances for the election.
Ani said the team from the commission observed massive security details on major roads and junctions in the state with strict enforcement of vehicular movement.
Gov. Wike commends INEC, security agencies for peaceful conduct
Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers on Saturday commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for the peaceful conduct of Edo governorship election.
Wike made the commendation while addressing journalists at Government House, Benin.
He said: “For now I don’t have power to announce results, but from the reports we are getting so far from the field, I think we are happy.
“I want to commend INEC so far for making sure that people voted in different polling units.
“I will also commend the security agencies so far for making sure that there was no much violence and if that continues I think it’s progress.
“Election is a process, the collation has not be done; it’s after the collation we can now give final conclusion of our appraisal.
“So far, I can say they ‘ve done well.
“What we are saying is that they should maintain what has happened and INEC should make sure that nobody tries to change the will of the people; that is what we are saying.
“If it’s the All Progressive Congress (APC) that wins, let it be so. If it’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that wins, let it be so.
I think we are very happy with what we have now. I think we have over 2, 000 polling units results now.
“I think we are very happy and if it continues this way this election will be one of the best elections we will have had in Nigeria.
“It’s not just about voting. After voting, votes are counted and then you go for collation.
“This is the critical period and they should protect their collation centers wether at the ward level, local government level or state level so that everybody who has voted will be happy that there will must prevail.”
On the alleged sieged laid on him by over 300 policemen in his hotel room in Benin on Friday, he said the episode was now history.
“What happened yesterday has happened; you have seen me now, I have not left Edo,” he added
Edo electorate hail INEC, security agencies
Group commends INEC on equal access for PWDs
Mr David Anyaele, the Chairman of the group, said this on Saturday in its preliminary statement on the conduct of the election.
Anyaele however, said that although priority voting was given to the PWDs, the elderly and pregnant women, other disability support aids where missing at polling units which hindered full participation of the PWDs.
“EVA4PWDs is impressed to observe that marginalised sects such as the aged, nursing mothers and pregnant women and PWDs generally were offered priority voting in most of the polling units observed.
“However, we are disappointed that INEC displayed minimal commitment to the implementation of the framework on access and participation of PWDs in the electoral process, as provided in the National Disability Act, 2018.
“The promised Braille voters’ guide and Braille ballot paper by INEC for easy access of election day instructions, guidelines and ballot paper for Blind voters were scarcely available.
“Where it was available, many INEC ad hoc staff did not understand its usage but got assistance from observers on how to use the Braille materials.
“This was the case in Polling Unit 003, Car Park Ward 1, Oredo LGA, where an observer assisted in locating the Braille material.
“There was absence of magnified lens at the Polling Units, INEC ad hoc staff who claimed to have at some polling units were unable to neither display it for observation and usage,” he said.
An Observer said that other observers reported that the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials such as Election Day instructions and guidelines to assist the deaf or persons with hearing impairment were also unavailable at majority of the PU’s visited.
Anyaele also said that reports showed that a large numbers of the PUs were not accessible to physically-challenged persons as they were sited at buildings without ramps and handrail, across gutters, and over staircases.
He noted that INEC Covid-19 guidelines were not adhered to in majority of the Polling Units visited due to uncontrolled large crowds.
“We have reports from areas like Greater Tomorrow High School, Oredo Ward 1, Ramat Park at Ikpoba/Okha, Oredo LGA, among other Polling Units, where the crowds were uncontrollably large,” he said.
Anyaele, however, urged INEC to address the major barriers identified in the Edo elections and make necessary provisions ahead of the Ondo State Governorship election slated for Oct. 10.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the group, in collaboration with the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), an NGO, trained and deployed INEC accredited observers to the three senatorial zones of the Edo State.
The observers focused on equal voting access for persons with disabilities and monitored the provisions made by INEC for PWDs.
PDP alleges move to replace election results in Edo North
“The Commission is irrevocably committed to following through its processes and procedures.
“As at 18.49p.m. 702 results have been uploaded in the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
“Our Presiding Officers are uploading Form EC8A which is the Polling Unit Result.
“Presiding Officers must complete Form EC 60E (The People’s Result Sheet), and paste at the polling unit.
“We understand the challenges posed by poor network in some of our communities and our Registration Area Technical Assistants are working hard at overcoming the challenges.
