Edo Electorates charges to vote
Ahead of the saturday guber, Chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Edo State have called on eligible voters to come out in mass and exercise their franchise to the party’s candidqte, Governor Godwin Obaseki, without fear of intimidation and harassment.
The chieftains said this in Oredo LGA while speaking at a road show organised by leaders of Oredo Ward 2 to educate the people against election apathy.
The Vice Chairman of Oredo Local Government, Mrs. Belinda Ogiefa, said: “Come out and vote; don’t be afraid of any form of violence. This road show is meant to educate the masses that Governor Godwin Obaseki is no longer in All Progressives Congress (APC). You should not be deceived.
“We are pleading with you to come out and vote; there will not be any violence as the security agencies are going to ensure the protection of lives and property.
“Security personnel will be fully on ground to deal with anyone trying to cause mayhem on that day. The PDP is fully ready and on ground.”
Osakue added that “Those threatening to fight on election day are just propagandists. They are only trying to scare people, but we are not scared. We just want to let them know that we are ready for the election.”
Meanwhile, the PDP Zonal Secretary in Unit 8 and 9, Mr. Lucky Edomen, has promised to mobilise more voters to ensure the governor’s victory. He hailed Obaseki’s performance across all sectors of the state.
“His developmental strides and projects are there for everyone to see. The opposition has nothing to show; they have no record.
“Obaseki is very popular and will be re-elected because of his performance. We want to let the people know that the governor is no longer in APC but PDP; they must not get it wrong on election day,” Edomen said.
In a related development, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki yesterday attended a meeting organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC for security agencies, candidates of parties and other stakeholders in Benin City, ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
Obaseki, in his comment at the stakeholders’ forum, urged INEC and the security agencies to ensure that the election is free, fair and credible.
He said: “Does INEC rules permit the use of equipment like drones with cameras to be flying in a problematic voting centre so that we can have recordings in those areas?
“On the Internet, there are accusations and insinuations that some people are writing results due to their access to result sheets. As an assurance, is it possible that the 192 result sheets for ward collation, the 18 local government collation centres and the result sheet for the state be authenticated?”
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, reassured the electorate that their votes would count.
According to him, “as eligible voters in Edo State come out for a peaceful election on Saturday, your votes will count. Polling unit results will be uploaded for public view.
