By Ogochukwu Isioma in Benin City
The main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State has called for the immediate cancellation of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise scheduled to begin on Monday, May 27, 2024.
Mr. Jarret Tenebe, Acting State Chairman of the Edo APC, made the call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on behalf of the party, in a statement made available to METROWATCH, in Benin City.
The party cited several compelling reasons for its demand, including alleged compromised INEC officials, alleged biased ad-hoc staff, alleged manipulation of voter registration data, and extensive damage to the INEC premises.
According to the APC, credible intelligence indicates that certain INEC officials have been allegedly compromised and are colluding with the Edo State government to manipulate the voter registration process in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The party rejected the deployment of Edo teachers, civil servants, and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members as ad-hoc staff for the CVR exercise, citing what it termed as bias towards the ruling PDP in the state.
“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,” the APC said.
The opposition party also alleged that the State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his associates are attempting to manipulate voter registration data to inflate the voters register in favor of the ruling PDP in the state.
“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,” said the APC.
On the damage to INEC premises, including the destruction of sensitive materials and equipment, following a recent flood, the APC rejected the use of a temporary office and the alleged plan to bring in additional machines from neighboring states, citing concerns about the integrity of the voter registration process.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Edo State, has officially alerted the public of the unprecedented damage inflicted upon its facilities and equipment (especially the IVED as a result of heavy rainfall on Friday night, when a torrential downpour hit Benin City, resulting in severe flooding and damage to the Commission’s perimeter fence with the resultant destroyed, submerging of sensitive materials in floodwater. INEC REC confirmed that all offices located downstairs of the building, including the crucial ICT building, were completely inundated.
“The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo State, Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, himself has rightfully acknowledged that the INEC Benin City headquarters has suffered significant damage to its functionality, as a result. The Commission cannot therefore pretend to be determined to ensure that the CVR exercise proceeds as scheduled. This is unacceptable to us as an interested party.
“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.
“We also condemn the plan of bringing in additional machines from neighboring states including Delta and Bayelsa. These are all premedidated and only confirms our earlier position that the Edo State PDP chairman, Mr. Tony Aziegbemi has hired his wife, (former Mrs. Annette Umeh) who is a Director in INEC’s Bayelsa ICT office to pre-fill names in the data capturing machine,” the statement added.
The party called on INEC to prioritize the safety and well-being of its staff and the general public, address the aftermath of the flooding, and restore its operations to full functionality before resuming any electoral activities.
The APC warned that proceeding with the CVR exercise under current conditions would jeopardize the integrity of the voter registration process and undermine the trust and confidence of the Edo electorate in the electoral system.
