Well, just when we thought we could catch our breath from the Edo State governorship election saga, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) swoops in with a “Hold my beer” moment. PDP has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of refusing to grant access to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and other key materials from the controversial September 21, 2024, governorship election. This comes despite a clear court order mandating it.
The PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, is making some pretty heavy allegations. According to them, INEC officials are pulling a classic “waiting for directives from above” stunt, allowing thugs, allegedly recruited by the All Progressives Congress (APC)—to storm INEC offices in Edo and create chaos. All this, the PDP says, is a deliberate ploy to frustrate their attempts to inspect electoral materials. You can practically hear the exasperation from their side.
“INEC’s refusal to release the materials is in brazen affront of the Order of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Holden at Benin City, dated 29th day of September, 2024 which ordered the Commission to grant our Party and candidate “unfettered access to and open up for inspection all electoral documents or any document in the custody of the National Chief Electoral Commissioner or any officer of the Commission/1st Respondent, particularly the Voter Registers, Ballot papers, the BVAS machines, Forms EC25B, EC25B(i) Forms EC40A and Forms EC40C which were utilized for the conduct of the Edo State Governorship election held on the 21st September 2024”. .
Ologunagba was in full blast mode, accusing INEC of disobeying the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s order. For those keeping track at home, the Tribunal had given a very specific ruling back on September 29, 2024, which instructed INEC to give the PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, access to all the key documents. That includes voter registers, ballot papers, BVAS machines, you name it. Yet, INEC is allegedly playing hide-and-seek, much to the PDP’s irritation.
PDP is claiming this isn’t just a case of simple incompetence (which wouldn’t surprise many). No, according to them, this is a full-on conspiracy. They allege that INEC has been working hand-in-hand with the APC, actively trying to tamper with the election results and alter the data in the BVAS machines, ballot papers, and result sheets. The goal? To hand victory to the APC’s clearly defeated candidate.
For those of us following Nigeria’s political dance, this isn’t the first time INEC has been accused of bending over backward for the APC. The PDP’s statement couldn’t resist reminding us that since 2023, INEC has been linked to a pattern of, let’s say, questionable behavior. Apparently, INEC’s habit of favoring the APC has been well-documented, as they continue to allegedly manipulate elections in the ruling party’s favour.
But it gets even darker. According to Ologunagba, this whole INEC-APC alliance is pushing the public to the brink of frustration. Nigerians, who have long grown tired of being shortchanged by their leaders, are allegedly on the verge of a full-blown breakdown of law and order. “How long can people stand by and watch their votes and voices stolen in broad daylight?” the PDP seems to ask.
The PDP isn’t stopping at accusations—They’re demanding that INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, “redeem the image” of the Commission by releasing the BVAS machines and all the election materials as ordered by the Tribunal. And if Yakubu values his job or INEC’s dwindling credibility, it might be in his best interest to take heed.
In a final warning, Ologunagba issued a stern warning: “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 to be stolen by the APC.”
Nigerian politics never fails to deliver when it comes to drama, and we’ll be watching to see just how far this game of political chess goes.
