From Paul Osuyi
An open confrontation between Senator Matthew Urhoghide and one of the governorship aspirant of the APC, Blessing Agbonmere was on Thursday averted at INEC headquarter in Benin City when the senator disagreed with INEC decision to cancel results in his voting centre.
Urhoghide who represents Edo south at senator on the platform of the PDP insisted that there was no form of violence at the two units in Etete voting centre of Ward 02 in Oredo council area to have warranted the cancellation of the results.
The result as announced by the Returning Officer for Oredo showed that the PDP scored 30,492 to APC’s 37,612 after the results from the allegedly disputed units were removed.
But miffed by this, Urhoghide stormed out and was addressing the press, expressing anger that the cancelled units results were in favour of his party, and that if the results were not canceled PDP would have won the entire locality.
The senator said: “I am disgusted by the results. The two units in Etete voting centre of Oredo ward 02 where I voted was very peaceful. In fact, the people living in Etete are very responsible people, they could not have engage in violence.
“We conducted ourselves in orderly manner during the voting exercise which ended peacefully at about 2pm. The votes were counted and results were declared in favour of my party, the PDP with any rancour.
“They also canceled the result for Ogbe Ward 01 where PDP won. It is not only wicked but very satanic to have cancelled an election result that was already declared. There was no shooting, there was no violence in the voting centre to have warranted the cancellation.”
Urhoghide was still speaking when Agbonmere rudely interrupted which prompted the senator to stormed out in front of cameras in anger.
Agbonmere quickly cashed-in on the opportunity to accuse Urhoghide of sponsoring protest when declaration of result was still on-going, even as he praised INEC for doing the right thing.
“The election was free and very fair, INEC has done the right. They are finding it difficult to accept defeat that is why a senator of the federal republic is sponsoring protest against the result of one local government.
“In Edo north where the governor is from, some units were canceled particularly in Etsako central and the result the PDP in that area, yet the governor, as an Etsako man did not lead a protest to INEC,” he said.