From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State has called for the cancellation of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to kick off in the state today, May 27, 2024.
The state acting Chairman of the APC, Jarret Tenebe, in a statement yesterday, adduced reasons for the party’s call for cancellation of the CVR exercise in Edo State, saying that the party has received credible intelligence indicating that certain officials within the NEC have been compromised and are colluding with the outgoing Edo State Government to manipulate the voter registration process in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Besides, the APC stated that the alleged decision by the Edo State Government to deploy Edo teachers and civil servants, as well as members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as ad hoc staff for the CVR exercise is unacceptable to it as the personnel have been compromised to favour the PDP.
The party further alleged that it has reports that there are efforts to manipulate voter registration data to inflate the voters register in favour of the PDP, adding that the plan includes attempts to register underage voters and transfer voters from neighbouring states, like Delta, Lagos, Ondo and others to distort the voters’ register and disenfranchise legitimate voters on Election Day.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Edo State, has officially alerted the public of the unprecedented damage inflicted upon its facilities and equipment, especially the IVED as a result of heavy rainfall on Friday night, when a torrential downpour hit Benin City, resulting in severe flooding and damage to the Commission’s perimeter fence, submerging sensitive materials in floodwater. The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) confirmed that all offices located downstairs of the building, including the crucial ICT building, were completely inundated.
“The REC for Edo State, Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, has rightfully acknowledged that the INEC Benin City headquarters has suffered significant damage to its functionality, as a result. The Commission cannot, therefore, pretend to be determined to ensure that the CVR exercise proceeds as scheduled. This is unacceptable to us as an interested party.
“We reject the planned use of the Ikpoba-Okha INEC LGA office located at 16 Customs Road, off Benin/Auchi Road, Benin City, as temporary “State Headquarters” for the Commission so the CVR can go on.
“We also condemn the plan to bring in additional machines from neighbouring states, including Delta and Bayelsa. These are all premeditated and only confirms our earlier position that a senior PDP chieftain has hired his wife, who is a director in INEC’s Bayelsa ICT office to pre-fill names in the data capturing machine.
“In the existing circumstances, we believe the wise option for INEC is the immediate cancellation of the CVR exercise and prioritise the safety and well-being of its staff and the general public more than anything else.
“INEC must address the aftermath of the flooding squarely, and restore its operations to full functionality before resuming any electoral activities. This is our demand.
“Any attempt to proceed with the CVR exercise under current conditions would not only jeopardise the integrity of the voter registration process, but also undermine the trust and confidence of the Edo electorate in the electoral system. We demand to be heard,” the APC said.
The Edo State Government had denied the allegations raised by the APC at its earlier press conference. The State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, who spoke for the Government, described the APC as a gathering of confused people who have nothing to offer.
“The allegation they made against INEC is like that of a man who is not prepared to write an exam that has been fixed for a certain date. We are embarrassed that this is the quality of opposition the APC is offering in the state.
“We want to say as a government that we are interested in our people coming out to register during the CVR exercise. That is what the government does. Also, political parties encourage the people to come out to register because it is the votes of the people that decide who governs them,” he said.