By DADA AYOKHAI
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State on Sunday called for the cancellation of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to kick off on Monday, May 27, 2024.
APC’s call came a day after sensitive materials for the CVR were submerged in water at INEC head office in Edo after a heavy on Saturday.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun had in a statement on Saturday said some of the voter enrollment machines already configured for the forthcoming Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) are affected with movable and immovable items submerged, including vehicles parked at the premises as well as office furniture and equipment.
APC chairman in Edo Mr. Jarret Tenebe in a statement said the APC was compelled to call for the cancellation of the CVR exercise because it observed that there were alleged compromised INEC Officials and Deployment of Biased Ad Hoc Staff for the CVR exercise among other issues raised by the main opposition party.
“We have received credible intelligence indicating that certain officials within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been compromised and are colluding with the outgoing Edo State government to manipulate the voter registration process in favor of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP),” Tenebe said.
“Deployment of Biased Ad Hoc Staff, we believe the decision by Governor Godwin Obaseki to deploy Edo teachers, civil servants, as well as members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as ad hoc staff for the CVR exercise is unacceptable to us. These personnel have been compromised to favor the PDP.”
Tenebe added that the APC is worried over alleged manipulation of Voter Registration Data saying, “We have reports that the outgoing Governor Obaseki and his associates are actively engaged in efforts to manipulate voter registration data to inflate the voters register in favor of the PDP.
“This includes attempts to register underage voters and transfer voters from neighboring states, like Delta, Lagos, Ondo and others to distort the Voters Register and disenfranchising legitimate voters on election day.”
According to him, INEC must address the aftermath of the flooding squarely and restore its operations to full functionality before resuming any electoral activities.
He said any attempt to proceed with the CVR exercise under current conditions would not only jeopardize the integrity of the voter registration process but also undermine the trust and confidence of the Edo electorate in the electoral system.
“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,” Tenebe said.
“We also condemn the plan of bringing in additional machines from neighboring states including Delta and Bayelsa.
“In the existing circumstances, we believe the wise option for INEC is the immediate cancellation of the CVR exercise and prioritize the safety and well-being of its staff and the general public more than anything else.”
