The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reacted to allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is making plans to alter the results of the governorship election in Edo North.
Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that the INEC is following through its processes and procedures for a successful and credible election.
Okoye added that INEC officers were uploading the results on the commission’s Result Viewing Portal in order to ensure fair election.
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According to him, “As at 18.49p.m. 702 results have been uploaded in the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
“Our Presiding Officers are uploading Form EC8A which is the Polling Unit Result.
“Presiding Officers must complete Form EC 60E (The People’s Result Sheet), and paste at the polling unit.”
He, however, noted that some officers are facing challenges posed by a poor network in some of our communities and our Registration Area Technical Assistants are working hard at overcoming the challenges.
Late Saturday, the PDP had accused the APC of mounting pressure on INEC to alter the results of the governorship election in various parts of Edo State in favour of the APC.
In a statement, Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary of the party, noted: “We have been informed that the INEC Chairman has come under intense pressure from the APC to allow the replacement of results declared in the riverine areas of Edo State in order to jerk up figures for the APC.
“The PDP has also observed that INEC’s virtual portal is increasingly becoming unstable. We also have information on ploys being undertaken to replace results in Fugar and other adjoining local governments, all in Edo North.”
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The party appealed to INEC Chairman not to “fall for this pressure in the interest of the unity and cohesion of our country.
“We have the results as already declared in the various polling units and we urge INEC to confine itself to these results already declared by its officials at the polling units.
“We invite Nigerians to closely monitor results being declared on the INEC virtual portal to ensure the wishes of the people of Edo State are not altered overnight.”
