The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has given reasons he visited the Independent National Electoral State Collation Centre around 3a.m on Sunday morning in Benin City.
According to the Governor, he was at the Centre to get first-hand information about the collation process.
IVNTVNEWS had reported that the Edo State Governor had stormed the INEC Collation Centre in Benin City in the early hours of Sunday.
We reported also that the Governor was asked to leave the Centre by the DIG of Police in charge, Frank Mba.
The Governor stated this during a Sunday briefing by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign organization for the Edo governorship election.
Obaseki said his visit was after failed attempts to reach the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo State, Anugbum Onuoha.
He said, “At about 1:00 am, I got the report that the coalition was supposed to have been moved to the INEC head office. I also got reports from our agents that PPP agents were not allowed into the coalition process. At that point in time, I called the REC to find an explanation as to what was going on. And there was no response.”
“I then went to INEC to seek to meet with the REC to try and understand what steps the INEC was taking to continue the process of collation. When I got in there at about 2:00 am, I did not see any coalition taking place. And the REC refused to come out to explain what the situation was.
“Subsequently, the DIG Police Frank Mba came in and had a meeting with me. Where I explained that if INEC was postponing or stopped the collation process, then as part of their rules, they should inform the public as to what next
“As of 3:00 a.m., there was no information from INEC as to what was going on. Or what was going to happen next. It was subsequently after my insistence and meeting with Frank Mba that INEC now released a statement at about 5:00 a.m this morning. Informing the public that the collation process would start at 10 a.m. this morning.
“So, my going there was essentially to obtain information from INEC. Because they had refused to put any information in the public domain as to what was going to happen with the collation process.”
source: Channels TV
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