The All Progressives Congress (APC) has failed to upload names and data of its polling and collation agents for the September governorship election in Edo State.
Instead, the party uploaded strange pictures which include emojis, pictures of foreigners, social media pictures and non-human photos as its polling and collation agents.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not reacted to the development.
The deadline for political parties to upload names and data of their agents has ended (today) being August 30.
The APC has also not reacted to the development as attempts to speak with its spokesman, Felix Morka, was unsuccessful.
By law, political parties are to submit names of their agents to man the polling units as well as local government and state collation centres as collation officers.
Following the expiration of the timeframe set by INEC, the APC is effectively banned from making any alterations to the mostly shocking non-human pictures and few pictures of foreigners it uploaded as agents.
Parties are forbidden from making alterations as placeholders are not allowed in this circumstance.
Consequently, the ruling party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned INEC against what it called a likely manipulation that could allow the APC make alterations.
The spokesman of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, while reacting to the development on Friday after the time effectively elapsed, charged
INEC to “firmly resist the plot by the APC to smuggle in unaccredited Polling and Collation Agents after the APC failed to meet the deadline” stipulated by the Electoral Act, 2022 and INEC Guidelines for the September 21, 2024 Governorship election in Edo State.
He said “it is already public knowledge as posted on INEC’s Portal that the APC failed to upload its over 3000 Polling and Collation Agents with the required bio-data and cannot be allowed to submit any Polling and Collation Agent after the deadline for submission on July 30, 2024 as doing so would amount to rigging the process.”
E stressed that it is clear that the APC did not upload the required bio-data of Agents with the “sinister aim to cause confusion, smuggle in thugs masquerading as Agents to trigger crisis on election day and pave way for its planned manipulation and disruption of the poll having realised that it has no prospect of winning the election.
“Only this can explain why the APC fraudulently uploaded emojis, pictures of foreigners, social media pictures and non-human photos as Polling and Collation Agents, with the intention to use the same as placeholders for thugs imported from certain APC States.”
The PDP spokesman said it further confirmed PDP’s position that the APC and its “lacklustre candidate, Monday Okpebholo have never been prepared for any democratic contest in the Edo State Governorship election but only waiting to manipulate the election against the Will of the people of Edo State.”
Unlike the PDP candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo who has been vigorously campaigning and engaging the people, said the APC and its candidate remain completely disconnected from the electorate, the public, the media and resort only to lies, falsehood, propaganda and desperation to manipulate.
“No wonder credible citizens of Edo State, especially the youth, spurned offers to serve as Polling and Collation Agents for the APC, given the widespread rejection of the APC and its candidate ahead of the election.
“The PDP therefore calls on INEC and the security agencies to ensure the credibility of the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election by resisting the pressure by APC leaders to violate the Electoral Act, 2022 and INEC Guidelines by allowing the APC to smuggle in thugs and unaccredited individuals as Polling Agents.
“Our Party insists that a strict compliance and implementation of the Electoral Act, 2022 and INEC Guidelines remains the assurance for a free, fair, transparent and credible election which is the only guarantee that the Will of the people as expressed in elections will prevail.
“The PDP commends the people of Edo State for their overwhelming support for our Party and Candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo while urging them to remain vigilant and alert in resisting the shenanigans of the APC,” Ologunagba said.