The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State said weekend that it was
in the dark over the identities of the officials of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) who would conduct Saturday’s
governorship election in the State.
In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Chris Nehikhare, the
PDP said it had written a letter to the electoral body, requesting a
meeting between its officials and those of the Commission.
The Party said that it was aware that the accredited officials of the
Commission had already met with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and
that the APC members had been granted remote access to INEC servers and
e-collation platforms.
The letter to INEC, according to the PDP reads in part, “As part of our
preparations for the Edo State gubernatorial election slated for Saturday
September 10, 2016, we have formally requested for a meeting with staff
(Local Government Collation Officers, Returning Officer for the State,
Staff in charge of card readers, E-Collation Officers and members of the
ICT team) of INEC assigned to the state to conduct the elections in Edo
State.
“You will be aware that as at today 4/09/2016 (5 days before the
elections), the names and identities of these staff have not been made
public.
“Information available to us is that INEC has granted requests made by the
All Progressive Congress (APC) for a similar meeting with the above
mentioned staff.
“We are reliably informed that members of APC have been granted remote
access to INEC servers and INEC e-collation platforms.
“We are informed that this was done in furtherance of a plan by certain
officials of INEC to grant APC real time access to INEC’s e-collation
platforms in a bid to enable them manipulate results on the field at
polling stations where they are losing elections or disrupt the electoral
process at such locations.
“We believe that such a meeting will avail us the opportunity to lay our
complaints and information available to us before INEC in detail.”