Voting Day for Edo: Governorship Elections 2016

It’s voting day, and about 2 million eligible voters are making their way to voting points in Edo State today. The state has a total of 192 registration areas, 2 627 polling units, and 4 011 voting points.

Approximately 25 000 policeman have been deployed across various strategic points to ensure that voters and political supporters are kept under control, and to ensure that the election is free, fair and credible. Additionally, there are 44 observer groups, approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), that will be acting as election supervisors.

There are 19 candidates running for governor, however, the two main candidates appear to be Godwin Obaseki, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party in the state, and Andrew Ize-Iyamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The PDP are accusing some officials of the APC and the INEC of tampering with the credibility of the elections.

State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chris Nehikhare, says he received information regarding an alleged distribution of two million Nigerian Naira by the INEC to the elections supervisors.

In his words, the INEC have “…written results for the nine local government (areas) on behalf of the APC. These results are being held by the supervisors and the collation officers at a point where they plan to switch the results with the real ones at the local government level once the election is done.”

Nehikhare has sworn that his party and supporters will fight against any attempt to switch election results.
May the best party win.