Edo: Protesters block new Etsako East LG chair from secretariat

By Jethro Ibileke

There was pandemonium at the Etsako East Local Government secretariat Monday evening, as some protesters suspected to be thugs invaded the premises and prevented the newly sworn-in chairman, Ms Benedicta Attoh from assuming office.

The hoodlums who chanted war songs, blocked the entrance to the secretariat complex located in Agenegbode, the administrative headquarters of the local government area.

They alleged that massive rigging characterized last Saturday’s council election, even as they insisted that their candidate won the election. but was rigged out in favour of Ms Attoh of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The chairman was stranded outside her office and tried in vain to calm her supporters down in a desperate effort at preventing the situation from degenerating into serious crisis.

This is even as the hoodlums who are mostly youths, vowed to occupy the secretariat and make it ungovernable until their candidate is sworn in.

Members of the community however appealed to Governor Godwin Obaseki to immediately wade in to prevent the situation from degenerating.

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Edo state, David Imuse, had in a statement earlier on Monday warned against the inauguration of all chairmanship and councillorship candidates declared winners in last Saturday’s local government elections in the state.

Imuse who gave the warning in a statement on Monday, alleged that there was no local government election in the state and so no results in any guise should be released by the EDSIEC.

Imuse described the elections as “a shocking display of fraudulence and deception orchestrated by the Edo state government, headed by Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and at the expense of Edo tax payers.”

According to him, “what was purported to be an election or selection process turned out to be nothing more than a sham, leaving Edo citizens severely disillusioned and questioning the integrity of the EDSIEC.

The statement reads further:

“As you clearly observed, EDSIEC officials, refusing to perform their duties, were conspicuously absent in a majority of the polling units. And in those places where they did make an appearance, ballot paper were short-supplied – 100 ballots per unit inrespective of the numbers of registered voters in that units. There were no result sheets. I am sure you were equally alarmed by the absence of EDSIEC officials at the so-called results collation centers, which render any possibility of legitimate result tabulation null and void.

“The deliberate absence of EDSIEC officials was at the instance of the Obaseki regime, who was terrified by the mass turnout of Voters across the State. His plan all along was to read prepared results with his handpicked candidates as winners which he eventually did. The scenes all over casts serious doubts on the credibility and transparency of the election, further reinforcing the allegations of fraudulent practices carried out by the Obaseki government…

“This sad event serves as an unfortunate yet undeniable testament to the deteriorating state of governance in our state, where the EDSIEC, entrusted with the democratic process appear to be complicit in undermining it. It is distressing to witness such blatant disregard for the principles of democracy and the rights of Edo citizens.

“Citizens of Edo state have a right to legitimate representation and government that upholds their democratic values. The events that unfolded during this sham of a local government election once again demonstrated a critical need for immediate intervention, accountability, and a thorough investigation into the conduct of EDSIEC and the Edo state government.

“There was no local government election in Edo state and so no results in any guise should be released by the EDSIEC. In the same vein, there should be no attempt to swear in any person or persons as Chairman or Councillor, on the basis of the so-called election.”

The APC chairman therefore urged all concerned stakeholders, civil society organizations, and the general public, to take note of what he described as grave travesty and join in demanding justice and fairness for the people of the state.