18th April, 2015
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Edo State chapter, on Friday announced its withdrawal from the rescheduled election in Orhiomwon local government area of the state to determine the winner of the Orhiomwon State Constituency II in the State House of Assembly.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had cancelled election in 12 polling units spread across three wards in the Council namely Ukpato, Ugu and Evboesi and rescheduled same for Saturday, 18 April, to determine the representative of Orhiomwon State Constituency II.
Orhiomwon Local Government Area Chairman of PDP, Barrister Nosakhare Ogieva-Okunbor, who announced the decision to withdraw from the rescheduled election while addressing journalists, said the party took the decision after seeing that INEC was acting a script he alleged was written by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to deny PDP victory.
“INEC has manipulated the whole process. Results that are favourable to us from the previous election were being rejected while those favourable to the APC were accepted.
“Considering the flagrant and gross abuse of electoral process that have trailed the elections conducted so far, we have resolved to pull out of the election,” Ogieva-Okunbor said.
Also commenting on the issue, candidate of the PDP in the election, Friday Ogieriakhi, said it was of no use participating in an election whose end was already pre-determined.
He alleged that fundamental complaints tabled by the PDP to INEC were thrown out and that INEC reneged on its earlier pledge to use card reader in the election.
“We will not dignify the fraud that is being perpetrated by INEC. We will challenge the result of the election in court and reclaim our mandate,” Ogieriakhi said.