Edo Polls: Complaints galore at voting centres

Eromosele Ebhomele

Voting is about closing at many polling centres in Edo State.

But it has been bitter complaints from voters in Edo North including the State Governor and candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Adams Oshiomhole, as election materials arrived late in some instances while in other cases, there were no materials at all.

So many of the voters in several polling booths were seen stranded with the Governor calling the INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, and other INEC Commissioners in the State for the election, fraud.

The Governor, who has not been comfortable since this morning was seen moving about his polling booth located at Iyamho Primary School, in Iyamho, a village not too far from Auchi.

The Governor said: “Jega is a fraud and I’m going to expose him,” adding that the other day, the electoral umpire was behaving naive when they met at a stakeholders’ meeting.

The Governor, who reacted to allegations that a senior INEC official in Oredo area of Benin, had deliberately hoarded materials in the area believed to be the Governor’s stronghold.

According to the Governor, who was publicly on phone to the INEC official, the official should not create a violent situation.

He threatened that the official would not go unpunished since it was same INEC official who helped rigged the Peoples democratic Party into office.

The Governor, voted at exactly 12. 55 pm, further said many people turned up and found that their names were not in the voters’ register.

“Someone told me now that in a place where 500 people registered, only 200 people were found in the register and only 50 were accredited.

“I told Jega in a petition more than a month ago that what they intended to do was to liaise with some people and he kept assuring me.”

He said the total voting population of Oredo is more than the entire Esan land and sending a suspicious INEC official to that place was uncalled for.

He accused INEC of being the weakest link in the democratic chain adding that there were areas where thumb-printing was being done in people’s houses.

He further accused INEC of intentionally delaying the materials just to ensure that the INEC official collaborate with riggers.

“I’m going to Benin now to mobilise the people to be ready. Any attempt for the PDP to rig this election will be met fire for fire,” he warned.

In Akoko-Edo, there were also complaints of late arrival of materials with accusations and counter-accusations among the two major parties in the contest.

While the former Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Tunde Akogun, said he received reports that some areas within the State had shortage of materials, he also said in some areas, the ad-hoc officials of the Commission had refused to turn up.

Currently, the security situation in Edo North could be described as commendable.
The accreditation of voters, which began early on Saturday in many parts of Edo for the governorship election in the state, went on smoothly in many areas.

The exercise took off promptly at 8 a.m. at Ologbosere Primary School, Sakpoba Road, with an enthusiastic crowd milling around INEC officials.

The officials had no problems attending to the potential voters as they conducted themselves orderly by queuing up to be cleared for the exercise.

Those, who came for registration were first cleared by the soldiers who manned the gate to the school compound and searched the people before allowing them entry.

At Asoro Primary School, Benin, the accreditation started late and at 9.50 am, voters still waited to be accredited.

Many of the people expressed worry about the delay in the commencement of the electoral process and discussed the development in groups.

Dr Ikwchukwu Okonkwo, a potential voter, said he hoped that the failure of election officials to arrive early was not an attempt to rig the election or frustrate those who came out to vote.

Another voter, Obowanti Paul, said it was unfortunate that people were being made to wait without any explanation.

He expressed the hope that the officials would come to start the election process.

At Auchi Ward III, some voters said they came out 7 a.m, although the accreditation of voters began at 8 a.m.

Mr Samuel OJuola of Alliance for Credible Election, an election monitoring group, said the election process was well organised in the centers he visited.

“ There is massive turnout of voters and in very orderly manner,’’ Oluola said.

The accreditation of voters went on smoothly at the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre.

Gov. Adams Oshiomhole was accredited at IyamoWard 10, in Etsako East Local Government Area at 11.35 a.m.

Chief Tony Anenih, PDP Chieftain and former Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, was accredited to vote at 10 a.m. at Uzenama Primary School Centre, Arue, Uromi, Etsako Northwest Local Government Area.

The Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area, Mrs Stella Okoro, said she was impressed by the turnout and that everybody was happy about the massive turnout.

She expressed optimism that the era of thuggery and ballot box snatching was over in the state

Other areas visited by NAN included Idumagbo, Ihumudunmu where the turnout was also massive.

While accreditation of voters ended early in some areas, there were challenges in parts of Oredo Local Government Area, prompting the Edo Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Kassim Gaidam, to go into the field to resolve matters.

Following complaints relating to the voter register, the registration was delayed at Garrick Memorial Nursery/Primary School, Oredo Local Government Area.

At 1p.m., while voting had begun in some parts of the state, voters at the Oredo centre had yet to be accredited and the Resident Electoral Commissioner , Mr Kassim Gaidam, moved in to deal with the issue.

Mr Marvel Akpoyibo, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in-charge of E Department, expressed satisfaction with the security arrangements at polling centres.

Akpoyibo, who is in Edo to supervise the governorship election in the state on Saturday, told the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) that based on what he had seen, the situation was peaceful.

He said that the priority was to ensure that things went all well.

He urged the people, including politicians, to “sustain the maturity so far displayed’’ till the end of the exercise.

NAN reports that there was heavy security presence in the state with the army closing major streets and roads and searching vehicles on the roads.

NAN reports that at 7.45a.m., soldiers had blocked access to Ring Road and Akpakpava Road and seized car keys from drivers still on the road.

In many places, especially near polling centres, soldiers kept a distance, while the police and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps guarded the stations and monitored the conduct of voters and election officials.

In Benin, all roads leading to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were closed by soldiers, while the police deployed more than 20 sniffer dogs around the premises.

Also, more mobile policemen were deployed to the INEC headquarters.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Femi Adenike, said at the INEC office that the police were determined to ensure that the election went on smoothly and successfully.

“As you can see, I came here with 10 vehicles loaded with men and we are ready to give out men when and where necessary,’’ he said.

When told that there was a report of shooting at Orhionmwon Local Government Area, Adenike said he was aware of the matter and that his men were ready to handle the challenge.

Additional reports by News Agency of Nigeria