Alleged political thugs have stopped PDP officials from inspecting BVAS machines at the INEC office in Edo. Learn more about the ongoing tensions.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has claimed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is hindering its attempts to conduct a court-mandated inspection of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Benin.
The PDP claims that upon arriving at the INEC office to follow a court directive, its officials were met with strong resistance. This resistance allegedly involved thuggery and police interference orchestrated by the APC.
The examination of the BVAS machines was ordered in response to the PDP’s worries about potential tampering with voter accreditation during the election.
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The party asserts that this obstruction underscores continuous attempts to compromise transparency in the electoral process, prompting concerns about the integrity of the election outcomes.
In a conversation with journalists, a high-ranking PDP official stated: “We arrived with a legitimate court order to examine the BVAS machines. However, APC thugs and police officers have encircled the area and are preventing our access.”
This shows a clear disregard for the rule of law and raises significant questions about the transparency of this election.
The APC is aware that their candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, does not have strong support from the public. As a result, they are now resorting to using force and intimidation to hinder our efforts in making sure the election process remains fair and credible.
We are simply requesting what the law guarantees us—a free and fair election. By blocking our access to inspect the BVAS machines, the APC and their security partners seem to be indicating they have something to conceal.
