Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) protested outside the collation centre in Benin over alleged attempts to manipulate the outcome of the Edo governorship election.

Police used teargas canisters on the protesters around 2:45am on Sunday and chased them off the premises of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Matthew Iduoriyekenwe, a PDP chieftain and director-general of the Ighodalo/Ogie campaign council, said some INEC officials conducted the election without the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

“In my local government, people were thumb-printing by bypassing BVAS. Why would INEC give us BVAS as means to accredit voters and INEC is bypassing it? If they know there was no need for an election, they didn’t need to waste our time,” he said.

Iduoriyekenwe also alleged that some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and a serving senator from Edo, are trying to manipulate the election for Monday Okpebholo, governorship candidate of their party.

Asue Ighodalo, governorship candidate of the PDP, was also at the INEC headquarters in the wee hours of Sunday, while reiterating allegations that police officers have been complicit in attempts to tamper with election processes.

In a statement issued at midnight on Saturday, Tony Aziegbemi, chairman of the PDP in Edo, alleged that the APC was working with thugs and “unscrupulous policemen to disrupt the collation of results”.

“We have learnt that the APC is mobilizing thugs to disrupt the collation process. They are piling pressure on the military to withdraw from the collation centres to achieve their devious plans,” he said.

APC ASKS OBASEKI TO LEAVE INEC HQ

Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, was inside the INEC office for almost three hours and exited the facility around 4:30am. He was seen out by police officers.

Dennis Idahosa, deputy governorship candidate of the APC in Edo, was banging on the gate of the INEC headquarters, shouting: “Obaseki come out, what are you doing in there?”

Idahosa was let in soon enough for his troubles.

Ajibola Basiru, national secretary of the APC, also arrived the premises with a few members of his party, while asking Obaseki to leave the INEC office.

“A governor or anybody holding an executive position cannot even serve as an agent of a political party. Obaseki is not on the ballot, he is not an agent of a political party. He is not an official of a political party like myself,” said Basiru.

“As far as we are concerned, his motive and intentions here are suspect. So we believe that there are attempts to subvert the democratic process in Edo state.

“I just spoke with the police DIG and they assured us that in a matter of minutes, Obaseki would exit the premises.

“We think that this is gross abuse of power, gross abuse of office and unbecoming of somebody holding a very sensitive position of governor of the state.

“What Mr Obaseki is doing is self-help and self-help can only lead to lawlessness.”

INEC has announced that collation of results of the election will resume at 10am.

At the time of reporting, 4,443 polling unit results — out of 4,519 — have been uploaded on the results viewing portal (IReV).

Davido, the Afrobeats star, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of “incompetence” in the ongoing gubernatorial elections in Edo.

On Saturday, residents went to the polls to elect a successor to Governor Godwin Obaseki, who is completing his two-term tenure of eight years.

Seventeen political parties are participating in the election, with the major contenders being the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP).

The key candidates include Monday Okpebholo (APC), Asue Ighodalo (PDP), and Olumide Akpata (LP).

During the election, there were reports of vote-buying and the presence of political thugs at some polling units.

Ighodalo also accused the police of voter intimidation.

“One of our supporters was arrested by men in mufti carrying guns. Nobody should carry a gun to a polling unit; that’s against the law and regulation,” he said.

Davido, who recently expressed enthusiasm for the election and supported Ighodalo, criticised INEC, labeling it “the most dangerous institution in Nigeria” and “very incompetent”.

He also urged the commission to enhance its operations, adding that the world is watching the unfolding events in the state.

“The most dangerous institution in Nigeria @inecnigeria,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Very incompetent @inecnigeria fix up! The world is watching #Edodecides.”

My mom is from Edo for those wondering why I’m interested in the election … but we as Nigerians should be concerned sha .. @inecnigeria shame on you I know how many times I had to come in here and rant before they got it right in Osun ! It’s really bad . God help us

— Davido (@davido) September 21, 2024

We already know that @inecnigeria will not transmit results electronically so everyone should be ready to follow the vote/result from the polling unit up until state collation center.

— Davido (@davido) September 21, 2024

The faction of the Labour Party (LP) led by Julius Abure says Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the party in 2023, and Alex Otti, governor of Abia state, have betrayed it.

The faction is miffed at both men because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refused to recognise Abure as LP national chair.

INEC’s position was contained in a counter affidavit filed in the Abuja federal high court.

The counter affidavit was in response to a suit filed by the Abure-led LP faction which is challenging its exclusion from uploading the names of its party agents on the INEC website for the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

The electoral commission said Abure’s tenure as national chair of the opposition party expired in June 2024.

In reaction to the development on Wednesday, Obiora Ifoh, spokesperson of the faction, said some of the people who want Abure out did not have money to purchase nomination forms in the build-up to the 2023 election.

“As you are aware, the party has since sued INEC challenging its exclusion from the commission’s refresher training for uploading party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections,” Ifoh said in a statement.

“However, INEC had in a counter-affidavit, filed in response to our suit argued that the Labour Party’s leadership, including Julius Abure, is now invalid, stressing that it does not recognise the party’s March 2024 National Convention, which re-elected Abure as chairman.

“The leadership of the Labour Party is however miffed by the actions of our leaders including our former presidential candidate Peter Obi and the only Labour Party governor, Dr. Alex Otti who should be defending the party at this auspicious and trying moment.

“They ought to know that the Labour Party is going through these challenging times simply because of its role in defending both leaders during the 2023 general election.

“For the benefit of hindsight, not a few Nigerians will forget how the Labour Party reduced its guards in accommodating some of these leaders when they were denied tickets in their former political parties.

“Today, these leaders are now dancing ‘Gwo gwo gwo ngwo’ with us. What a shame, what a betrayal.”

Nenadi Usman, a former senator, has since been appointed as national chair of the LP caretaker committee, following a party stakeholders meeting called by Otti recently.

Obi, and Datti Baba-Ahmed, LP vice-presidential candidate in 2023, were among the top party members that attended the meeting.