The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) has announced the outcomes of the local government council election that took place on Saturday, declaring that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged victorious in all 18 Local Government Areas within the state.
However, the opposition parties, namely the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP), have strongly criticized the election, denouncing it as a farce.
The results were formally declared by returning officers from the 18 local government areas at the EDSIEC headquarters situated along Airport Road in Benin City. The chairman of EDSIEC, Justice James Oyomere (rtd), received the documents from these returning officers and subsequently announced the names of the 18 winners. He commended the returning officers and their ad-hoc staff for their performance in conducting the election.
The State Chairman of the APC, David Imuse, voiced his discontent over the election, describing it as fraudulent. He emphasized the absence of result sheets and insufficient ballot papers, asserting that conducting an election without result sheets was unacceptable.
Similarly, a prominent member of the LP, Dr. Kingsley Okunday, issued a statement condemning the election as a sham and an affront to democracy. He expressed disappointment that an election as vital as the local government polls, which have a direct impact on grassroots governance, was marred by uncivilized and barbaric practices.
Dr. Okunday called upon EDSIEC to review the election process and nullify the results, citing widespread reports of fraud and electoral malpractices, asserting that the election was neither free nor fair.
He alleged that members of the ruling PDP, with alleged external support, had used intimidation tactics, seized voting materials in some areas, and manipulated results in others. He insinuated that the Labour Party’s resilience had provoked undemocratic measures from other parties, particularly the PDP.
Despite these concerns, Dr. Okunday urged LP members to remain law-abiding and not resort to violence, asserting that the LP’s commitment to democratic principles sets it apart from the thuggish methods employed by the PDP.
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