Edo Governorship: APC, Government, INEC Clash as Voter Registration Begins

The Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise, scheduled to begin today, has sparked a heated dispute among the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Edo State Government, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The APC has demanded the cancellation of the 10-day CVR, alleging that the Edo State Government and INEC are conspiring to rig the process in favor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Edo APC Chairman, Emperor Jaret Tenebe, issued a statement accusing certain INEC officials of being compromised and collaborating with the Edo State Government to manipulate the voter registration in favor of the PDP. Tenebe claimed, “We have credible intelligence that some INEC officials have been compromised and are colluding with the Edo State Government to manipulate the voter registration process in favor of the PDP. Governor Godwin Obaseki’s decision to deploy teachers, civil servants, and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members as ad hoc staff is unacceptable as these personnel have been compromised to support the PDP.”

The Edo State Government has vehemently denied these allegations. Chris Nehikhare, the Commissioner for Orientation and Communication, rebutted the claims, stating, “Our only interest as a government is to encourage people to register during the CVR exercise. Political parties should also encourage registration as it is the people’s votes that determine their leaders. We are focused on ensuring that our citizens participate fully in the democratic process, and these allegations are baseless.”

Tmidi Wariowei, Head of Voter Education at INEC’s Edo office, expressed confusion over the APC’s claims. Wariowei said, “We don’t understand what they are alleging. APC representatives attended our stakeholders’ meetings and said nothing. They were also present in all 18 local government meetings without raising these concerns. If any party has grievances, they should petition us directly rather than make baseless allegations in the media. Our doors are always open for constructive dialogue.”

This conflict has escalated tensions as the CVR exercise kicks off, with the APC insisting that the involvement of certain state employees and NYSC members in the registration process is a strategic move by the Edo State Government to influence the outcome in favor of the PDP. Meanwhile, both the state government and INEC maintain that the process is transparent and fair, emphasizing the importance of encouraging voter participation without politicizing the exercise.