FROM IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said Wednesday that 14 political parties had registered for the forthcoming Edo State bye-elections to fill the vacant seats in Ovia Federal Constituency and Edo Central Senatorial district, but only nine participated in the primaries.
AljazirahNigeria recalls that both seats were declared vacant when the member representing Ovia Federal Constituency, Dennis Idahosa emerged the Deputy Governor and the Senator representing Edo Central, Monday Okpebholo, equally emerged governor, respectively.
The Resident Electoral Commission, Professor Anugbum Onuoha disclosed this while briefing journalists of its activities ahead of the bye-elections.
He listed the parties participating to include Action Alliance, AA, African Democratic Congress, ADC, All Progressives Congress, APC, Allied Peoples Movement, APM, Action Peoples Party, APP, Action Democratic Party, ADP, New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Zenith Labour Party, ZLP.
Professor Onuoha said five others who indicated interest to participate in the bye-elections didn not conduct primaries as INEC officials visited the addresses stated for the day, but to their greatest amazement, the offices were under lock and keys.
Onuoha stated that Labour Party, LP, did not notify INEC of its intention to participate in the election. So, its primary was not known or monitored by officials.
“14 political parties expressed interest. They gave us their address, we went there and we did not see anybody. Those ones include Accord, BOOT Party, National Rescue Movement, NRM, Young Progressive Party, YPP, they closed their offices.”
Expressing sadness over the unwillingness of intending voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, the REC said 101,617 uncollected PVCs have been recorded in the seven local government areas participating in the election.
He added that out of the 719,504 that registered for the election, only 617,887 have collected their PVCs.
He assured residents of the affected areas of free, fair and credible bye-elections.
He also said all modalities to ensure a smooth exercise have been put in place, just as he urged residents to go out en-masse and cast their votes for their choice candidates.
