Edo Election: PDP Alleges Plots To Replace Results

…LAMENTS KILLINGS, CAUTIONS SECURITY AGENCIES

The Peoples Democratic Party on Saturday raised an alarm over alleged plots to replace election results in the Edo State governorship election, particularly in Edo North where the party’s candidate is leading.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, also alerted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Department of State Services (DSS) of the alleged plots.

It said, “While we charge our members to remain vigilant and follow their results ‘bumper to bumper’ to all the collation centers, we however caution the security agencies against being used to replace results that have already been declared at the respective polling units.

“Already, we are aware that results are being manufactured in Kogi State to be used as replacements for already declared results, particularly in Edo North.

“We draw the attention of INEC to such results being bandied by the All Progressives Congress, (APC) including the fake result claimed to have emanated from Etsako West, where a vote of 914 was allocated to the APC, as against the genuine declaration at the polling units.”

It added, “A cursory check on the results being circulated in the public space by the APC failed a litmus test of the identification numbers of INEC declaration of results.

“Whereas polling unit results are identified as Form EC8A, the results being paraded by the APC carry a fake identification number of Form EC60E.

“Our party expresses concerns that this sinister adventure of the APC is being encouraged by the slow pace of uploading already declared results in INEC’s virtual portal.”

The party said it was alarmed by the report that the development has led to avoidable post- election violence, which has resulted in the reported killing of innocent Edo citizens, who came out to perform their civic responsibilities as the police allegedly withdrew their men in certain collation centers.

It called on the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to protect innocent Nigerians.

It said, “We charge the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to ensure that his officials are not compromised to replace results, as the people of Edo state have spoken loud and clear with their votes in their respective units, and they are already aware of the authentic results.”