Edo State chairman of the governing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, has accused leaders of the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo of recruiting fake Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) technical staff to rig the state’s governorship election on September 21.

Aziegbemi made the accusation during a news conference at the state secretariat of PDP on Airport Road, Benin, while claiming that fake INEC staff, posing as technical personnel, would tamper with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines on the day of the election, to beef up the number of accredited voters.

He alleged that the leaders of APC in Edo were also desperately plotting to manipulate the polling agents’ lists, after the deadline given by INEC.

Edo chairman of PDP said: “The press conference is on INEC, which issued a timetable and schedule of activities in Edo State for the governorship election. There are 13 items on the document. I draw your attention to item 9: ‘Submission of names of political agents, to be uploaded on INEC’s portal.’

“INEC created a portal for political parties to upload their agents and access codes were given to the political parties. INEC portal for uploading polling agents opened on the 17th of July, and automatically shut down on the 30th of July, 2024, at midnight.

“On the 29th of August, 2024 INEC invited the national chairmen and national secretaries of the sixteen participating political parties for an emergency meeting in Abuja.

“To our amazement, APC did not meet the requirement in 3,037 polling units and in 17 local governments, which means APC has polling agents in only 1,482 polling units and one local government agent. PDP uploaded polling agents in 4,378 polling units. A party that cannot upload its polling unit agents in two-thirds of the polling units cannot be trusted with power in our state. We demand that no political party be allowed to correct this anomaly.

“We wish to draw the attention of INEC and Edolites to the sinister plan of the APC, which has been uncovered by our intelligence unit. We demand that INEC should publish, in good time, the names and photographs of all appointed RTECs for the election and their postings.”

Aziegbemi also alleged that APC’s leaders, knowing that they could not win the governorship election in Edo, resorted to rigging plans, which he declared would terribly fail, by the grace of Almighty God.

He said: “I cannot thank you (journalists) enough for the commitment and dedication in reporting issues and events, as we approach the all-important pivotal 21st of September governorship election in our dear state.

“Let me thank the leader of the party in Edo State, and Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, for the huge success of the kick-off of our party’s campaign on Thursday at Ubiaja in Edo Central Senatorial District. My deepest appreciation must also go to our members that turned out en masse for the rally. May God continue to guide us all.”

The Spokesman of INEC in Edo, Mr. Timidi Wariowei, in his reaction, said: “The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, will be presiding over an enlarged stakeholders meeting in Benin on the 11th of September, 2024. He (Aziegbemi) can raise the issues there.”

The Director of Media of the Campaign Council of the APC in Edo for the September 21 governorship election, Prince Kassim Afegbua, however, stated in his reaction that there would be no escape route for Obaseki and his godson, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, the standard bearer of PDP in the state, while describing Aziegbemi and other leaders of PDP as liars.

Afegbua, a former Edo Commissioner for Information, also stated that the top politicians and their allies, who were fingered in the July 18, 2024 murder at the exit gate of Benin Airport of police Inspector Onuh Akoh of No. 45 Police Mobile Force, Abuja, were running from investigation, and being afraid of facing the consequences of their action, while hiding inside the Government House in the Government Reservation Area (GRA), Benin, for fear of arrest, with Aziegbemi levelling the allegations to distract attention.

Akoh of No. 45 Police Mobile Force, Abuja, was attached to the governorship candidate of the APC in Edo, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the representative of Edo Central Senatorial District, who arrived from Abuja, in company with the reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo, Comrade Philip Shaibu, who got favourable judgment the previous day, at the Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, which reinstated Shuaibu.

The director of media of APC’s campaign council in Edo said: “We have told the world Obaseki brought hackers and cloners to Edo, with the aim of ensuring that the BVAS machines are tampered with, while also cloning our candidate’s voice. Now, they see that is not working, they now want to devise another method. They have perfected plans to stage protests across the state, asking that their criminal elements should not be arrested. They are afraid of facing the consequences of their action, hiding in Edo State Government House, Benin, for fear of arrest. (The Nation: Text, Excluding Headline)

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