‘Don’t declare Edo election inconclusive’, Wike warns INEC

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against declaring the Edo governorship election inconclusive.

Wike, who is the National Chairman of the Edo State Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party urged INEC to keep to its promise of conducting a transparent election.

While urging the people of the state to defend their votes up to the collation centre, Wike also called on security operatives to prevent breaches during collation of results.

The governor who gave the warning during an interview in the Edo situation room said, “We have results from about 2,000 polling units from the various wards and from the intelligence we have gathered, I do believe that INEC will keep to that promise of being transparent”.

The Edo election is principally between the APC candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Governor Godwin Obaseki of the PDP. (PMNews) Pulse Nigeria

“But we are getting a bit worried that INEC said they have 700 unit results which is not correct and that calls for concern. We don’t believe that INEC has only 700. It is more than 2,000 that we have.

ALSO READ: No vote for Obaseki as Ize-Iyamu polls 1,201 at Oshiomhole’s polling unit

“Again, as we speak, they ought to have moved to the ward collation centres before they move to the local government collation centres. But we cannot find the security personnel around the ward collation centres and that gives us concern.

“Why is it that the security personnel are not at the ward collation centres? So, I urge the Inspector-General of Police to move his men to the ward collation centres.

“They must not allow miscreants to disrupt the electoral process. I believe that the commission will continue with what they have done.

“Like we have said, we don’t want this election to be inconclusive. This is the critical stage where you may see disruptions and then it will be declared inconclusive. INEC should fulfil its promise that this election will be transparent. We don’t want to hear inconclusive.”

However, Governor Obaseki is currently ahead of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Osagie Ize-Iyamu, with some 50,000 votes.

The results of 10 local government areas are in, as declared by INEC.

Of the 10 local governments, Obaseki has nicked victory across eight, with Ize-Iyamu winning in two.