The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) claims the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has shifted the inspection of election materials to Thursday. According to the APC, this move was necessary to allow the party time to prepare properly.
Speaking to journalists, Edo APC Chairman, Jarret Tenebe, along with the party’s legal counsel, Victor Ohiosumwan, admitted there was confusion about the inspection process. Apparently, the APC didn’t bring all the necessary materials because they were unaware that INEC would start with the inspection of the voter register.
Tenebe explained, “We were supposed to start with inspecting the register, but INEC didn’t inform us. They gave us a register earlier, which we should have compared with the one they would bring. There are suspicions here because of the BVAS that was uploaded from the government house to INEC, and registers were included.”
He continued, “The register is a serious issue. You’ll recall the PDP’s internal legal battle over whether Asue Ighodalo was actually registered in Edo. The INEC register we checked before the election didn’t include his name. So, we need to ensure that we are inspecting a genuine register and not a fake one. That’s the matter at hand, so we’ve adjourned till tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legal team, also present at the INEC headquarters in Benin City, gave no comments. However, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo, Anubgum Onuoha, responded to the PDP’s allegations that INEC was blocking access to the BVAS machines before the recently concluded gubernatorial election.
In a statement, Onuoha called the accusations “baseless, misleading, and without merit.” He firmly denied preventing any party, including the PDP, from inspecting the BVAS machines ahead of their court challenges.
He extended an invitation to all political parties, including the PDP, to inspect the BVAS on Wednesday, refuting any claims of obstruction.
The drama between the APC, PDP, and INEC continues as both sides prepare for their next legal and political moves, keeping the public in suspense about the outcome.
