The outgoing Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has explained his dramatic visit to the State Collation Centre during the ongoing governorship election.
He made this statement during a Sunday briefing by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign organization in Benin City.
Obaseki said he wanted first-hand information about the collation process after being unable to reach the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Anugbum Onuoha.
“I got the report that the coalition was supposed to have been moved to the INEC head office,” Obaseki said.
He continued, “I also got reports from our agents that APC agents were not allowed into the coalition process.”
His frustrations led him to contact the REC for clarification, but he received no response.
At around 1:00 a.m., he felt it was necessary to go to the INEC office in person.
“When I got in there at about 2:00 a.m., I did not see any coalition taking place,” he noted.
The governor expressed his concerns about the lack of transparency in the electoral process.
He mentioned that the REC refused to meet with him to discuss the situation.
Subsequently, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Frank Mba, arrived and met with Obaseki.
“I explained that if INEC was postponing or stopping the collation process, they should inform the public,” he said.
As the hours passed, there was still no clear communication from INEC regarding the next steps.
“At 3:00 a.m., there was no information from INEC about what was going to happen next,” Obaseki explained.
His insistence on clarity led to a breakthrough.
“After my insistence and meeting with Mr. Frank Mba, INEC released a statement at about 5:00 a.m. informing the public that the collation process would start at 10 a.m.,” he said.
