The Labour Party (LP) has expressed its rejection of the local government election held in Edo state on Sunday, September 3rd, 2023, characterizing the polls as a “mockery of democracy.”According to reports, the elections, which took place in Edo North, Edo Central, and Edo South senatorial districts and were conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission (ESIEC), resulted in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winning all 18 chairperson positions...CONTINUE READING
Obiora Ifoh, the LP’s national publicity secretary, issued a statement on Sunday, calling for the organization of new local government elections in the state.
The LP alleged that in several polling units, electoral officers either arrived late or failed to show up at all. They also claimed that in some areas where the elections did take place, there were insufficient ballot papers, and no result sheets were provided.
The statement read, “Reports from our agents across most of the polling units in the state confirmed that there were deliberate efforts by the EDSIEC to frustrate voters by ensuring that the electoral officers either arrived late at the polling units or didn’t show up at all.”
“In a few places where the election was held, insufficient ballot papers were provided with no single result sheet. But at the end of the day, results were announced with the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party declared as elected.”
The LP called on the Edo state government to condemn the election results, denounce the outcome, and demand a fresh and credible election.
Additionally, the LP urged the national assembly to abolish State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) throughout the country, stating that they have not effectively promoted democracy and are often influenced by state governments.
“State Independent Electoral Commissions across Nigeria have failed to help democracy grow. They are purely appendages of the state governments, and there is nothing independent about them,” the statement read.
“We, therefore, call on the national assembly to abolish the commission and entrust the conduct of local government elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission for proper management. State Independent Electoral Commissions have become an embarrassment to democracy in Nigeria. It is, therefore, time to abolish them to restore sanity in our grassroots politics….CONTINUE READING
Despite these concerns, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo expressed satisfaction with the election and was surprised by the level of voter turnout, even in the face of adverse weather conditions.
