The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of an INEC Presiding Officer, Obozuwa Josephine, over alleged discrepancies in the election result sheet from a polling unit during the Edo State Governorship elections.
In a statement released on Saturday, the party accused the official of “brazenly allocating non-existent votes to the All Progressives Congress (APC)” at the expense of the PDP’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
The voting result sheet uploaded on INEC IREV portal from the Osholo Primary School Polling Unit, Weppa in Etsako East Local Government Area shows a total of 406 votes were cast despite there being only 213 accredited voters, the majority of which were recorded for the APC.
“It is highly provocative that the INEC PO Obozuwa Josephine could be so compromised by the APC to audaciously and feloniously allocate unearned 352 votes to the APC above the 213 voters officially accredited in that Polling Unit.
The party condemned the actions of the INEC official, likening them to the controversial conduct of Mallam Hudu Ari, the former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, during the 2023 Governorship election which sparked violent protests and nearly endangered the lives of INEC officials.
Obozuwa Josephine should take note that this criminal action by her could provoke similar consequences.
Our Party holds that Obozuwa Josephine’s action is one of the many cases of electoral fraud, ballot manipulation, betrayal of public trust and crime against the State perpetrated in this election by the APC and unscrupulous INEC officials which must not go unpunished.
The PDP has urged INEC to declare the results from the polling unit null and void and to take swift legal action against the presiding officer involved
