Edo poll: PDP accuses APC of mounting pressure on INEC to alter results

As citizens of Edo State and Nigerians await the final results of Saturday’s governorship election in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of mounting pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to alter the results of the election in various parts of the state in favour of the APC.

The election was largely a contest between the incumbent governor and candidate of the PDP, Godwin Obaseki, and Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC.

Kola Ologbondiyan, national publicity secretary of the party, in a statement said the party has been informed that the “INEC chairman has come under intense pressure from the APC to allow the replacement of results declared in the riverine areas of Edo State in order to jack up figures for the APC”.

“The PDP has also observed that INEC’s virtual portal is increasingly becoming unstable. We also have information on ploys being undertaken to replace results in Fugar and other adjoining local governments, all in Edo North,” Ologbondiyan said.

The party appealed to INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, not to “fall for this pressure in the interest of the unity and cohesion of our country”.

“We have the results as already declared in the various polling units and we urge INEC to confine itself to these results already declared by its officials at the polling units.

“We invite Nigerians to closely monitor results being declared on the INEC virtual portal to ensure the wishes of the people of Edo State are not altered overnight,” he said.

Earlier, Rivers State governor and national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council, Nyesom Wike, Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde had called on the various stakeholders in the gubernatorial election to ensure the collation centres are secured.

The governors, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, the Edo State capital, commended INEC and the various security agencies for conducting a peaceful election in the state but noted that the work was not over until the results of the election are released.