The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Monday accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of doctoring the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, machines and other materials used in the September 21, 2024 Edo State Governorship election against the Order of Court.
PDP’s spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, alleged that compromised INEC’s officials used the ploy of waiting for “directives from above” to allegedly allow thugs recruited by the All Progressives Congress to invade the its office in Edo State to cause confusion and frustrate the PDP from accessing these sensitive materials.
Ologunagba disclosed this in a statement he posted on PDP’s X handle.
He condemned the reported refusal by INEC officials in Edo State to grant the PDP and its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo @Aighodalo access to the BVAS machines and other materials used in the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election against the Order of Court.
The statement reads: “Our Party also alerts the public of how compromised INEC officials used the ploy of waiting for “directives from above” to allegedly allow thugs recruited by the All Progressives Congress (APC) @OfficialAPCNg and some unscrupulous police operatives to invade the INEC office in Edo State so as to cause confusion and frustrate the PDP from accessing these sensitive materials.
“INEC’s refusal to release the materials is in brazen affront of the Order of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Holden at Benin City, dated 29th day of September, 2024 which ordered the Commission to grant our Party and candidate “unfettered access to and open up for inspection all electoral documents or any document in the custody of the National Chief Electoral Commissioner or any officer of the Commission/1st Respondent, particularly the Voter Registers, Ballot papers, the BVAS machines, Forms EC25B, EC25B(i) Forms EC40A and Forms EC40C which were utilized for the conduct of the Edo State Governorship election held on the 21st September 2024”.
“The action of the INEC in Edo State therefore validates reports of criminal connivance of some INEC officials with the APC to obstruct the course of justice and suppress evidence of the manipulation and doctoring of election results which was clearly won by the PDP and its candidate.
“Information available to the PDP indicates that the heavily compromised INEC officials and the APC are working to alter the data in the BVAS machines, results sheets, ballot papers and other vital information in favour of the defeated APC candidate.
“It is imperative to draw the attention of Nigerians and the International Community of a pattern by the INEC to continue to present itself as a threat to democracy against its mandate to promote democratic principles of free, fair and credible elections in line with the Constitution and extant electoral laws.”