Despite the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission’s guarantees, the election on Saturday revealed that the commission had poor logistics, with some voters having to wait for hours to cast their ballots while others were unlucky because polling workers failed to appear.
As of 10 a.m., supplies at the Oredo local government distribution office on Sapele Roads had not yet been distributed, and poll workers had reported a shortage of result sheets and stamps.
At the Adesua Girls Grammar School, the same thing happened as voters waited in vain for election officials to show up with materials but they never appeared. Niyi Kupoluyi claimed that after the voting officials did not appear, he and a few other voters fled the location at around 3 o’clock.
Materials were available in Egor Ward II (Egor Primary School), but access was limited because only individuals who supported the state’s ruling party were permitted inside. Odion Olaye, the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress chapter in Edo State, cast his ballot there.
Voters did not show up in great numbers at Emokpai Primary School, where Governor Godwin Obaseki cast his ballot at around two o’clock, as most only waited to see the governor do it.
Election materials were delivered early to most polling places in Edo North, including the Akoko-Edo local government area, and voting began there as early as 8am. The process went off without a hitch.
Members of the Labour Party, however, protested and voiced their discontent with the way the election was handled at the offices of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Benin.
Daniel-Ero Onaghise, a contender for the Oredo Local Government LP presidency, demanded that the election be canceled.
“I want to express my displeasure on this exercise,” Onaghise stated. At a number of stakeholder meetings, they promised to employ card readers and BIVAs, but as the election drew near, they abandoned that plan. We began to suspect foul play at that time after they claimed there would be mobility restrictions but the governor announced there wouldn’t be any two days before the election. EDSIEC reassured us that everything would be OK.
“Today, items arrived after more than six hours, and EDSIEC officials were not visible. As I speak to you, there are no resources, thus I am unable to cast my vote for Oredo’s LP chairmanship. Since 7 am, voters have been present at the polling place. I demand that the exercise, which is full of flaws, be called off.
While casting his ballot at Emokpae Primary School, Governor Godwin Obaseki commended the process and expressed his confidence that the Peoples Democratic Party will win since “the PDP fully mobilised in most part of the state.”
