Facts have emerged on what transpired last Saturday February 4, 2024 during the Peoples Democratic Party three ad-hoc congress that was conducted by the National Working Committee of the party across the 192 wards in the state.
The latest revelation surfaced on Wednesday during the appeal panel sitting which revealed the unclever electoral crime that was committed by Mr. Peter Mbah, the Governor of Enugu state who was hurriedly dragged to replace Seyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo State, who had earlier rejected the assignment due to the secrecy that shrouded the process.
Some of the pre-written result sheets were signed by Peter Mbah and Pascal Adigwe for all 192 Wards in Edo State as Ward Electoral Officers.
The Oyo governor had cited the non availability of the result sheets as one reason he rejected the appointment to serve as chairman of congress committee in Edo State.
The discoveries have put paid to Makinde’s refusal. Details of the result sheets that have been submitted for forensic analysis showed that Peter Mbah and Pascal Adigwe signed as the electoral officers for all the 192 wards. It was also discovered that a single writing entered the results into the result sheets that were purportedly returned from the 192 wards.
At the appeal hearing, the chairman, Mr. Seriaki Dickson, former governor of Bayelsa State pleaded for political solution to save the PDP in Edo State and prevent the party from being delisted from the ballot for the September 21, 2024 governorship election.
Meanwhile, three governors that have been approached by Mr. Umar Bature to head the conduct of the election of Local Government Delegates have declined to accept the offer and a deputy governor has accepted Bature’s offer.
A source at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja explained that: “Umar Bature is struggling to finish up an illegal process they’ve started, he has met brick walls and four PDP Governors have declined to serve as Chairman in Obaseki’s schedule to elect LGA delegates.
“One of them has said he can not at this point get involved because from all he can see, the issues facing Edo nomination processes are enormous and complaints germane.
“Another governor said, while also declining, that, I had for long appealed to my colleague governor to act as a leader and settle all differences by putting his house in order, but he wouldn’t listen to me.
“The third governor said, he doubts if a legitimate candidate can emerge at this rate. Hence, he is unable to be part of this process.”
However, Bature who has been accused of allegedly receiving Two Million United States Dollar from Governor Obaseki is said to be determined to complete the circle of confusion that has plunged Edo PDP into irreversible chaos and has decided to use the Deputy Governor of Delta State Mr. Monday Onyeme for the outstanding exercise.
The question many stakeholders are asking is that, if Obaseki succeeds in writing delegate results for PDP primaries, will he be able to write the results for the Independent National Electoral Commission?