The governor of Adamawa State criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission for allegedly violating the Electoral Act. He expressed concerns about the transparency of the electoral process, citing instances where PDP agents were denied access to collation centers. The governor, who is also the Chairman of the Edo PDP National Campaign Council, emphasized the importance of INEC following its own rules to ensure fair and transparent collation of election results.
During a press conference held in Benin City, the governor highlighted interruptions in the collation process across several local government areas in Edo State. He noted that the collation processes were abruptly moved to the State Headquarters of INEC, contrary to statutory procedures. The governor raised issues of unequal access for party agents, with PDP representatives being denied entry while APC agents were allowed to participate freely, violating the Electoral Act’s principles of neutrality.
The governor clarified that he did not announce election results but merely shared figures from the party’s collation agent before the process was disrupted by INEC. He reiterated the call for INEC to adhere to its rules, emphasizing that the Resident Electoral Commissioner should not be involved in result announcements or unauthorized relocation of collation centers. The governor concluded by stating that they would seek further consultation on the matter.