The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately concealing evidence of rigging in the September 21, 2024 Edo State Governorship election.
The party condemned INEC’s refusal to grant access to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and other critical election materials, despite a court order mandating the release of these documents for inspection.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the PDP expressed frustration over what it described as the “deliberate delay tactics” employed by INEC officials. Ologunagba alleged that INEC used the excuse of waiting for “directives from above” to allow APC thugs and compromised security operatives to create chaos and block access to the materials.
“Our Party also alerts the public of how compromised INEC officials used the ploy of waiting for ‘directives from above’ to allegedly allow thugs recruited by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some unscrupulous police operatives to invade the INEC office in Edo State so as to cause confusion and frustrate the PDP from accessing these sensitive materials,” the statement read.
This refusal by INEC, according to the PDP, violates an order from the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, dated September 29, 2024.
The Tribunal had ordered INEC to allow PDP and its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, unrestricted access to all relevant electoral documents, including the BVAS machines, voter registers, ballot papers, and result forms, which were used in the election.
Ologunagba argued that INEC’s actions lend credence to reports of a criminal alliance between INEC officials and the APC to manipulate the outcome of the election. The PDP insists that its candidate, Dr. Ighodalo, was the legitimate winner of the poll.
“The action of INEC in Edo State therefore validates reports of criminal connivance of some INEC officials with the APC to obstruct the course of justice and suppress evidence of the manipulation and doctoring of election results which was clearly won by the PDP and its candidate,” Ologunagba said.
The PDP further claimed that there is an ongoing effort by INEC and APC to alter the data in the BVAS machines, ballot papers, and result sheets to favor the defeated APC candidate.
“It is imperative to draw the attention of Nigerians and the International Community to this pattern by INEC to present itself as a threat to democracy, contrary to its mandate to promote democratic principles of free, fair, and credible elections in line with the Constitution and extant electoral laws,” Ologunagba added.
The party called on INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to restore the Commission’s integrity by ensuring the immediate release of all electoral materials as directed by the court.
The PDP vowed that the people of Edo State would not allow their mandate, which they say was freely given to their candidate, to be “illegally transferred” to the APC.
“INEC and the APC must know that there is no way the PDP and the people of Edo State will allow the mandate freely given to our Party and candidate at the September 21, 2024 Edo State Governorship to be illegally transferred to the APC which was defeated at the election,” Ologunagba stressed.
The PDP’s statement ends with a stern warning of rising tensions in Edo State, as citizens grow increasingly frustrated with what they perceive as an attempt to undermine democracy.
The party urged INEC to comply with the court order and prevent further damage to Nigeria’s electoral process.
