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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Edo State has once again denied the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, access to the Bimodal Voter Authentication System (BVAS) machine and other materials used in the September 21 governorship election.
This denial took place during a visit by the PDP’s legal team to the INEC office on Tuesday, where they sought to inspect electoral materials related to the contentious election.
The refusal has sparked allegations of collusion and deliberate obstruction from the PDP, which claims that INEC is working alongside the All Progressives Congress (APC) to hinder their legal challenge against the election outcome.
Chris Nehikhare, the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, criticized INEC’s actions as a “clandestine game plan” aimed at frustrating the PDP’s appeal and preventing them from filing their petition before the approaching Saturday deadline.
Nehikhare also accused the APC of planning to burn down the INEC office to destroy critical evidence, including the BVAS machines, which he claims contain proof of electoral fraud.
In response to the situation, Nehikhare assured PDP members that the party would persist in exposing the alleged electoral malpractice and reclaiming what they believe to be their rightful mandate from the people of Edo State.
He urged the Nigeria Police Force to enhance security at the INEC office, prevent any potential attacks, and enforce the court order permitting the inspection of election materials.
This latest development follows an earlier visit by the PDP’s legal team, led by Olusegun Jolaawo (SAN), to the INEC headquarters in Benin City on Monday.
They had presented a court order, dated September 29, 2024, which directed INEC to provide a comprehensive list of electoral materials and allow the PDP and Ighodalo to obtain Certified True Copies of the documents.
Despite waiting for several hours, the legal team was informed that they would need to return on Tuesday to receive authorization from INEC’s headquarters in Abuja.
The ongoing denial of access to vital electoral materials raises concerns over transparency and fairness in the electoral process in Edo State.
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