From Paul Osuyi
Although declaration of results in Wednesday’s governorship election in Edo State is still on-going with results from nine out of the 18 council areas so far released, supporters of the PDP are already protesting over alleged allocation of votes in some councils.
The protesters who presently gathered at the state headquarters of INEC on Aduwawa road in Benin City with placards of various inscriptions claimed to be leading as at yesterday evening but were stunned that the APC was leading in five out of the eight councils so far released.
According to some of them, the PDP won the election in all the eighteen council areas of the state, adding that the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole allegedly stormed INEC at the wee hours of today to induce the electoral body to change the figures.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards were “INEC took bribe from APC, PDP won the 2016 election,’ INEC give us our actual results,’ ‘INEC give PDP their true result’, amongst others.
The protesters mostly made of women and youths called the governor and his party, the APC unprintable names, threatening fire and brimstone if the PDP is shortchanged.
One of the protesters, Mrs. Lindsay Tes Sorae from Ovia North East council area said the people will not accept the release being released by the electoral umpire, alleging that the governor gave orders to INEC to change the results.
Also, Princess Eba from Ikpoba-Okha council area told journalists that they were already in high spirit earlier this morning, noting that there hopes were being dashed as the results were being announced from the various council areas.
Eba said: “If APC win, they should win squarely, we will have no problem with that. But let them announce the right result of which PDP won in almost all the council areas.
“As at yesterday evening we were already jubilation get because PDP was leading but what we are hearing now is different from the votes that were generated from the polling units.”
As at the time of filing this report, the protesters were still milling around INEC office that was heavily guarded by gun wielding security operatives who demonstrated a very high level of civility while imploring the protesters to remain peaceful.