APGA Candidate Calls For Total Cancellation of Edo governorship election

The candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the governorship election held in Edo State has called for total cancellation of the poll.

Mr , Osaro Onaiwu on Wednesday alleged that financial inducement and intimidation of party loyalists occurred during the poll.

He is the first candidate in the election that has called for the cancellation of the election that had 19 contestants.

The election is said to have been peaceful, but with cases of ballot snatching reported.

Earlier, a member of the party monitoring the process at a polling unit, Stephen Edema, told Channels Television that the process had been smooth.

The Independent Electoral Commission had said the election was smooth and had progressed as expected.

Over 1.9 million people were registered to vote in the poll, which was supervised by over 18,511 officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with 19 candidates contesting for the position of governor.

Edo State has 192 registration areas 2,627 polling units and 4,011 voting points.

INEC National Commissioner, Mrs Amina Zakari, said the electoral process was going on as expected while the INEC officials and security agents were working professionally.

Mrs Zakari made the observation in an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday at one of the polling centres in Benin City, the state’s capital in south-south Nigeria.

“It (the electoral process) has gone based on our expectation.

“The ad-hoc staff are working professionally (and) the security agents are doing their work (while) the people of Edo State are actually doing what we expect of them.

“They are behaving adequately, they are lined up neatly and everything is going smoothly,” she said.

Meanwhile, results compilation has started at different local government areas.

After the compilation at that level, the results would be sent to the Headquarters of the electoral body in Benin City, the capital of the state, for collation and announcement of the winner.

The candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party  and that of the All Progressives Congress are top contenders in the election which will produce a successor for Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who was a former labour union leader.

There is heavy security presence at the headquarters the electoral body, where collation will take place.

– CTV