Edo Governorship: PDP demands redeployment of REC, police commissioner

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the redeployment of INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo State, Anugbum Onuoha, ahead of next Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

At a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the party’s acting national chairperson, Umar Damagum, also called for the redeployment of the Commissioner of the Police in the state, Nemo Edwin-Iwo.

The text of the press briefing was posted on the PDP’s X handle.

The party’s demand came a few hours after its Edo State chapter refused to sign a peace accord facilitated by the National Peace Committee for political parties and candidates participating in the 21 September election in the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Governor Godwin Obaseki, the leader of the PDP in the state, said his party would not sign the peace accord until some conditions were met. These conditions include the release of his party members, whom he said were arrested and taken to Abuja on the instruction of the Inspector General of Police.

Mr Obaseki also said that the PDP had no confidence in the police to protect them, adding that Saturday’s election may become “very violent.”

Mr Damagum, the PDP’s national chairperson, backed the Edo State chapter of the party for not signing the peace agreement.

“You will recall that the PDP had earlier raised alarm on the reported activity of a terror squad going by the name IGP response team, which, on the instruction of APC leaders, are hounding, arresting and torturing members and supporters of the PDP, especially those who recently decamped from the APC to the PDP.

“Reports reaching our party is that the said APC-controlled torture squad arresting and detaining our members is allegedly operating with the knowledge of Mr Edwin-Iwo.”

Mr Damagum said 16 PDP supporters have been arrested, detained and tortured on trumped-up charges, a move he said was the APC’s plot to terrify the people and prevent them from coming out to vote and seize the opportunity to manipulate and rig the election.

“The situation in Edo State is further exacerbated by the attempt by the Inspector General of Police to unconstitutionally disband the Edo State Security Corps statutorily established by the Edo State House of Assembly,” Mr Damagum said.

Edo REC an APC supporter – PDP

Justifying his call for the redeployment of Edo State resident electoral commissioner, Mr Damagum described the electoral official as a known supporter of the APC.

“The APC is attempting to infiltrate and compromise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by reportedly influencing the appointment of a known APC apologist and supporter, Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, who is notorious for his partisan association with APC leaders, as the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner.

“The appointment of this overtly partisan individual as Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner is completely unacceptable as he is susceptible to bias and manipulations by the APC and therefore not in a position to guarantee a transparent, free, fair and credible governorship election in Edo State,” the PDP said.

Consequently, the party made six demands, including the redeployment of the Edo State commissioner for police and the resident electoral commissioner in the state and the immediate release of all PDP members allegedly detained by the police.

“This is not only to guarantee a credible governorship election in Edo State but also to avert the ugly scenario witnessed in the 2023 Adamawa State governorship election where a biased Resident Electoral Commissioner and other INEC officials nearly lost their lives in the hands of the agitated electorate,” Mr Damagum said.

Speaking further, the party chairperson predicted an overwhelming victory for the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo in the election.

He said that the APC having “realised that they have no chance in the election, have resorted to violence, manipulations and using some rogue police operatives to harass, arrest, torture and detain innocent citizens of Edo State, particularly members and supporters of the PDP.”

Edo PDP says the same

While the PDP national chairperson briefed journalists in Abuja, the party’s chairperson in Edo, Anthony Aziegbemi, told journalists in Benin that the party lacked confidence in the REC’s ability to conduct the election without bias.

Mr Aziegbemi also alleged that the recruitment of the Supervising Presiding Officers (SPOs) for the election had been compromised.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, a protest letter to the INEC chairman, made available to journalists during the press conference, reads:

“It is with a deep sense of concern that we bring to the notice of your good office a very disturbing trend that may threaten the credibility of the forthcoming Edo governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024.

“We believe that, as the umpire in the election, it is in the best interest of INEC to be made aware of unfolding issues and the need to act swiftly to restore the confidence of all parties.

“The matter pertains to the close links between the serving Edo REC, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha and a known partisan opponent of Edo PDP, the former governor of Rivers State and Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike.

“The ties between these two are too close to ignore as not only do they share familiarities but are also close associates. To be clear, the relationship between the two is outlined below:

“The said Edo REC is a cousin to the Minister of the FCT, Mr. Wike. He also served as a former Commissioner and Special Adviser for Lands, Survey and Housing to Mr Wike during his tenure as Rivers governor.

“The antecedent between these two, we are not comfortable that the Edo REC will conduct himself creditably before, during and after the election,” he said.

“We are therefore requesting the redeployment of the Edo REC as we are not confident that he would be fair, just and equitable in the conduct of the election.

“We hereby demand the removal of these impersonators from the SPOs list, ” he said.

Neither INEC nor the police have responded to the PDP’s specific claims made by its national chairperson.

However, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, assured the people of Edo State that the police would be impartial during the election.

“We will remain impartial, professional and vigilant while providing a level playing ground for all the political parties and their candidates,” Mr Egbetokun said on Thursday in Benin City at the peace signing accord.