The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to cancel the Continuous Voters Registration, CVR, exercise scheduled to commence on Monday, May 26, 2024.
DAILY POST reports that the Acting State Chairman of the party, Mr Jarret Tenebe, made the call on Sunday in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin City.
Tenebe said the call became necessary following the destruction of voter enrollment machines already configured for the exercise by flood that submerged the state headquarters of the Commission in Benin City.
DAILY POST had reported that other items destroyed by the flood in the Commission’s office are movable and immovable equipment, including vehicles parked at the premises as well as office furniture, among others.
The Edo State APC chairman noted that the party had last Friday raised alarm that the Commission had already compromised the registration exercise to favour the Peoples Democratic Party.
He said, “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.
“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.
“The downpour resulted in severe flooding and damage to the Commission’s perimeter fence with the resultant destruction submerged our sensitive materials.
“INEC REC confirmed that all offices located downstairs of the building, including the crucial ICT building, were completely destroyed.”
He said as a result of the damages, the Commission cannot pretend to be determined to ensure that the CVR exercise proceeds as scheduled.
He noted that the Commission’s decision to continue with the registration exercise amidst the destruction was unacceptable to APC as an interested party.
Tenebe said the party also rejected the plan of the Commission to relocate to its Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area office as temporary ‘State Headquarters’ for the Continuous Voters Registration.
“We also condemn the plan of bringing in additional machines from neighboring states including Delta and Bayelsa. These are all premeditated and only confirm our earlier position that a Director of INEC’s Bayelsa ICT office is a wife to a PDP chieftain in Edo State. We don’t want a situation where names are pre-filled in the data capturing machines.
“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.
“We demand that INEC must address the aftermath of the flooding squarely and restore its operations to full functionality before resuming any electoral activities.
“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 demand to be heard”, he stated.
DAILY POST recall that the Edo State chapters of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party had last Friday, engaged in war of words over the alleged plan to manipulate the registration exercise.