Edo Decides: Tension as results trickle in
THE anxiety in the polity was thick, yesterday, as results of the governorship election in 18 local governments, 192 wards, and 2,627 polling units of Edo State trickled in. In what panned out as a tight race between Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, scores from polling units released at press time were too close to call.
The poll, which witnessed impressive voters turnout, was marred by isolated cases of violence in some local councils (Orhiomwon, Owan West, Egor, Ikpoba-Okha, Ovia South West, and Oredo), late commencement of the process in some polling units and malfunctioning of Smart Card Readers, which Obaseki and his immediate predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, decried. Results announced at polling units, but not yet confirmed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), showed Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole, and PDP deputy governorship candidate, Comrade Philip Shaibu, winning their polling booths.
The PDP candidate also won the polling unit of a former Edo State governor and APC Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. How the big men fared Obaseki won in his Unit 19, Oredo, Local Government Area. He polled 184 votes to Ize-Iyamu’s 62.
The PDP candidate also secured the highest number of votes cast at polling unit 02, ward 002, Oredo local government area, where Odigie-Oyegun voted. Obaseki polled 109 votes to defeat Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the APC, who garnered 40 votes. Oshiomhole delivered his Ward 10, PU 001, Estako West Local Government Area 100 per cent to the APC as Obaseki of the PDP had zero vote. According to the result announced, the APC polled all the valid 1,202 votes cast while the PDP scored zero vote. Ize-Iyamu cornered his Ighododo Ward 5 polling unit with 292 votes, defeating Obaseki who scored 21 votes. Shaibu,on his part, delivered his Ward 11 polling unit 5 of Etsako West LGA to PDP.
Here PDP polled 401 votes compared to APC’s 148 votes. The ruling party had the upper hand in factional Speaker Frank Okiye booth in Esan North-East, Ward 3 unit 4, where ADP scored five votes, PDP had150 votes and APC got 61 votes.
The acting Chairman of the APC, Col David Imuse, retd, lost his polling unit as APC scored 93 votes to PDP’s 126 while a former Chief of Staff to Obaseki, Taiwo Akerele, won his Unit 11 in Ward 1 where the APC scored 211 votes as against PDP’s 88. There was massive deployment of security agencies with soldiers manning border points between local government areas but there was less compliance with Covid-19 social distancing except in very few areas where voting started early. However, by midday when the voting centres became crowded, social distancing and wearing of face masks were completely jettisoned.
There were several instances of vote- buying with physical cash being tactically handed over to voters including 2 to 5 kg of rice, tomato paste and bales of cloth but the atmosphere in all the centres visited was generally peaceful. As early as 7:30 am, voters were already out at Irrua Girls Secondary School in Esan Central local government area in Edo Central waiting for INEC officials. Obaseki, Oshiomhole lament failure of card readers Obaseki, shortly after casting his vote at Unit 19, Oredo in Oredo Local Government Area of the state, expressed disappointment over the failure of card readers in several wards across the state. Obaseki, who said he spent hours on the queue due to card reader issues unlike what happened in 2016, said the failure of the card readers showed the unpreparedness of INEC.
On the issue of vote-buying at polling units, the governor said security agencies were not doing what they assured Edo people and Nigerians before the election. In like manner, Oshiomhole lamented that card readers were not working at some polling units. He spoke after casting his vote at polling unit 01, Ward 10 in Uzairue Northeast, Etsako West Local Government Area.
The former National Chairman of the APC, however, warned the INEC not to compromise. Security personnel, voters, electoral officials flee in Urhonigbe Security personnel, electoral officials and voters ran for their dear lives in Urhonigbe, Orhionmwon local government area following an escalation in electoral violence which tended to cast a blight on the poll, which had earlier in the day begun peacefully.
As of the time of this report, Sunday Vanguard gathered that the electoral officials were currently in protective custody at the police station in the area. Sporadic shooting and incidences of ballot snatching reportedly characterized voting in some polling units in Ologbo, a riverine community in Ikpoba-Okha LGA and Ward 9 in Egor LGA. There were also reports of massive inducement of voters in Egor LGA particularly in Ward 9, Unit 11,12,13 &14. Vanguard
