September 22, (THEWILL) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would investigate alleged discrepancies in the figures entered into the result sheets at a polling unit in Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State.
The decision follows a complaint by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over alleged compromise and allocation of non-existent votes by a presiding officer of the electoral commission.
Spokesperson of the Party, Debo Ologunagba, had alleged that Obozuwa Josephine, a presiding officer of the commission, allocated non-existent votes to the APC.
Demanding the arrest and prosecution of members of the APC involved in the alleged falsification, Ologunagba said, “The election result sheet for Osholo Primary School Polling Unit, Weppa in Etsako East Local Government Area shows that whereas 213 voters were accredited, Obozuwa Josephine criminally and fraudulently allocated 352 votes to the APC, 52 to the PDP and one to the LP, giving a total of 406 as votes cast.
“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,” he said.
Reacting in a statement on its official X account on Saturday night, INEC assured the public that it would conduct a thorough investigation of the matter and take appropriate action if any irregularities are confirmed.
“The Commission’s attention has been drawn to an allegation of wrong figures entered into polling unit result sheets in the ongoing Edo State governorship election. This is the second complaint we have received out of the 4,519 polling units used for the election.
“The Commission will immediately investigate the matter and deal with any proven infraction,” INEC assured.
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