When they saw that Ighodalo had won 15 LGAs, they withheld 3 Etsako LGAs, reveals Mathew Idoiyekemwem
*This is what Tinubu’s supporters mean when they say their principal knows politics - Voters *In a complaint audio, aggrieved Nigerian speaks in Yoruba, says, 'This is how elections in Lagos are conducted'
By OUR REPORTERS
One of them said, “It is surprising that INEC would only silply come out to talk about the governor storming the centre but wont talk about why he stormed. Well, this is what the Tinubu supporters gloat over when they say their principal knows politics. We now see in advance how 2027 will look like but we are not allowing them in this Edo’s election,” he said saying no need for his name.
The Asue Ighodalo’s campaign team has raised strong allegations of election malpractice, accusing former Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, of manipulating figures during the Edo governorship election.
Director-General of Asue Ighodalo’s campaign team, Mathew Idoiyekemwem, addressed media correspondents, claiming that Oshiomhole and several other members of his party, including Philip Shaibu were involved in deliberate manipulation to alter the election outcome.
Idoiyekemwem stated that despite his candidate winning overwhelmingly in 15 Local Government Areas, Oshiomhole allegedly withheld the results from three Local Governments, known as the Etakos, in an attempt to bridge the gap through fraudulent means.
In his statement, which was reportedly shared in a video by Channels Television, Idoiyekemwem asserted that “they started thumb-printing, trying to cover up the gap.”
He alleged that this fraudulent activity bypassed the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) — the technology used by INEC to authenticate voters — especially in areas such as Auchi and the riverine communities of his own local government, Ward 10.
“We’ve done the election and won clearly… even after they paid as much as N30,000 per voter, Asue Ighodalo won overwhelmingly by over 70% of the total votes cast,” Idoiyekemwem claimed, expressing frustration over the alleged manipulation that occurred after the polls.
According to Idoiyekemwem, the irregularities, including thumb-printing and bypassing the BVAS, were carried out with the complicity of some election officials.
He questioned the role of INEC in this, asking, “Why will INEC give us BVAS as a means to accredit us and at the end of the day people are bypassing it and INEC is accepting it because of one Oshiomhole and his people?”
It will be recalled that Governor Godwin Obaseki, his party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo and his running mate had stormed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters where the alleged plan by Adams Oshiomhole-led All Progressives Congress (APC) was to be hatched Saturday night.
Their mission, The DEFENDER had reported earlier, was to see things for themselves having received calls from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agents that they were being restrained from entering the INEC state collation centre.
But INEC has reportedly condemned the action by Obaseki. Some voters, who reacted to the condemnation of the governor by INEC were asking to know whether it expected that Obaseki would sit down, fold his arms and allowed democracy to go bad under his watch.
One of them said, “It is surprising that INEC would only silply come out to talk about the governor storming the centre but wont talk about why he stormed. Well, this is what the Tinubu supporters gloat over when they say their principal knows politics. We now see in advance how 2027 will look like but we are not allowing them in this Edo’s election,” he said saying no need for his name.
An audio in Yoruba has in the meantime exposed how the APC rigged the election in the three Etsako LGAs overnight saying “this is exactly how Tinubu used to do elections in Lagis.”
The unidentified voice said, “They knew they lost even in Oshiomhole part of the state and started tumbprining overnight nut it is a shame to them that Edo State people rejected them in this election despite their highest bidding and unleashing of thugs.”
In the meantime, the campaign team of Asue Ighodalo is now calling on INEC to investigate these claims of manipulation and ensure that the integrity of the election process is upheld.
“We’ve done election and we won clearly in about 15 Local Governments, When they found out – even after paying – they were paying as much as N30,000 per voter, that Asue Ighodalo won overwhelmingly by well over 70% of the total votes cast, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole withheld the three Etsakos and then they started thumb printing, trying to cover up the gap.
“If you go to Auchi now, they’ve been thumb printing, bypassing the bvas, they didn’t use the bvas. In my own Local Government. In my own Local Government, ward 10.
“They went to the riverine communities, bypassing the bvas. Why Will INEC give us bvas as a means to accredit us and at the end of the day people are bypassing it and INEC is accepting it because of one Oshiomhole and his people,” he exposed the overnight rigging done to suppress the will of Edo people in Saturday’s election.
