The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has turned down a request by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to redeploy the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo State, Anugbum Onuoha, ahead of the September 21 governorship election. The PDP had raised concerns over the REC’s alleged closeness to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and questioned his impartiality in overseeing the election.
The controversy stems from Onuoha’s relationship with Wike, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and the PDP leadership have expressed fears that this connection could lead to biased decisions in favor of the APC. To address these concerns, Edo State PDP Chairman, Anthony Aziegbemhin, submitted a formal protest letter to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, urging the immediate redeployment of Onuoha. In the letter, Aziegbemhin cited Onuoha’s familial ties to Wike, claiming it could undermine the integrity of the election.
Despite the concerns raised, INEC has firmly rejected the request for redeployment. The commission’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated that the voting process itself, not the REC’s office, would determine the outcome of the election. He emphasized that the REC would not be removed from his position and reassured stakeholders that the process would be transparent.
“The REC for Edo State will not be redeployed. The governorship election will be conducted on 21st September 2024 in 4,519 polling units, not in the REC’s office,” Oyekanmi said. He outlined the steps that would ensure fairness and transparency, including the role of Presiding Officers (POs) in declaring results at polling units. Oyekanmi stressed that these officers would announce results in the presence of party representatives and other stakeholders, ensuring that no manipulation could take place.
In an effort to further allay concerns, Oyekanmi explained that the results from each polling unit would be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, which allows the public to view them in real-time. “The PO will take a picture of the PU result with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and upload it to the IReV portal. This ensures transparency but does not equate to electronic voting or electronic transmission of results,” he clarified.
Oyekanmi also reiterated that the Nigerian constitution does not yet recognize electronic voting, but INEC’s procedures—such as the use of BVAS and IReV—are designed to promote openness and trust in the electoral process. “Copies of the polling unit results will be given to accredited party agents to ensure transparency,” he added.
