The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of hiring armed thugs to ambush its forensic team during a court-ordered inspection of election materials. The PDP forensic team had visited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Benin as part of an ongoing investigation into the September 21st Edo governorship election.
According to the PDP, the team was violently attacked by a mob believed to be hired by the APC. The incident allegedly took place in the presence of police officers, who, despite witnessing the assault, failed to take any action to prevent the violence.
In a statement released by the PDP, the party claimed that its forensic team was obstructed by a group of thugs affiliated with the APC. The incident occurred as the team attempted to access the INEC office in Benin to carry out an inspection of election materials. This inspection was ordered by the court as part of the PDP’s legal challenge to the results of the September governorship election.
The PDP alleged that their team had made an initial visit to the INEC state headquarters, where they were met by Mrs. Rita Amadi, INEC’s Head of Legal Department. Mrs. Amadi reportedly informed them that she had misplaced her copy of the court order allowing the inspection. Additionally, the ICT staff needed for the inspection were not available at the time.
Determined to move forward with the process, the PDP forensic team returned a few hours later with their own copy of the court order. By this time, the ICT staff were reportedly present, but Mrs. Amadi had already left the office. After discussions, it was agreed that both parties would reconvene the following morning at 10 a.m. to proceed with the inspection.
However, when the PDP team arrived the next day, they were met with violence. According to the PDP, a mob of armed thugs, allegedly hired by the APC, attacked the team, damaging their vehicles and shattering the windscreen of the lead security vehicle. Despite the presence of police officers, no efforts were made to stop the assault.
The PDP accused INEC officials, specifically Mrs. Amadi, of endangering the lives of their team by allowing them to walk into what they described as a trap. In a tense phone conversation, the PDP reportedly confronted Mrs. Amadi about the attack. The party claimed that Mrs. Amadi acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and revealed that she had previously reported threats from APC members to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC). However, no actions were taken by INEC to ensure her safety or the safety of the forensic team.
The PDP believes that INEC’s inability to provide adequate security for the court-ordered inspection has further delayed the process. The party also suggested that there may be a deliberate effort by some INEC officials to obstruct their investigation into the election results.
In their statement, the PDP expressed frustration over the ongoing delay in inspecting the election materials. Despite having obtained a court order two weeks ago, the party claims that they have been unable to carry out the inspection due to repeated obstructions by the APC and some elements within INEC.
The September 21st Edo governorship election was highly contested, with both the PDP and APC vying for control of the state. The APC candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, was declared the winner of the election by INEC, but the PDP has challenged the results, citing irregularities during the voting and collation process.
