BENIN CITY – The governorship candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP) for last week’s Wednesday Governorship Election in Edo State, Pastor Peters Osawaru Omoragbon has scored the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) high in the election, describing the exercise as free, fair and credible.
Speaking at a Press Conference in Benin City yesterday, Pastor Osawaru said the Election was not only orderly, but also crisis free saying the electorate, after many years were allowed to vote for candidate of their choice without inducement, intimidation and harassment or molestation of any kind.
The NCP Governorship Candidate noted that as one of the candidates for the elections, he voted at ward 4, unit 4 in Oredo Local Government Area, saying that what he saw was reminiscence of the June 12, 1993 Elections in Nigeria.
“People were orderly, comported themselves with decorum and the usual confusion characteristic of past elections of registered voters were displayed on the walls adjacent to every polling unit where electorate identified their names and serial numbers, join the queue and once this has been verified by the INEC polling officers, you are allowed to do their biometric with the PVC machine to authenticate if they are real owners of the voter’s card and then vote and move away or stay behind to await result after collation.
“During the announcement of the results, all the parties were represented and the process was very transparent and when the electoral officer from the Local Government Area has read their report, they were allowed to be questioned by the party Representatives, this was quite different from past practices, where results are read without any opportunity to ask questions or challenge the electoral officers and was broadcasted live all over the world,” he said.
Pastor Peters Osawaru hinted that “if the results were so endorsed as a reflection of the true representation of the voting in the local government areas, why would any political party for that matter orchestrate infantile protesting, using under aged children to protest that the election was rigged by INEC to favour a political party.
“The National Conscience Party and myself in particular cannot play to the gallery, we are more disciplined than such mundane attitude towards election, this however has gone to show that the average Nigerian Politician is a bad loser, tell me one election result in the past that has been produced in this country without anyone coming out to protest and condemned? he queried.
He therefore noted that “we must learn to accept defeat in dignity in every contest,” saying that there is bound to be a loser and a winner.
“In this regard, we commend the INEC for a job well done, the security agents need to be commended for their non-intimidating presence, but we want to propose that while the security men are not allowed to carry arms at polling units, some other armed security agents should be stationed about 100 metres away from the boxes as was “reported in very few polling units.
Some other armed security agents should be stationed about 100 metres away at the polling centres, this will discourage any attempt to snatch ballot boxes to avert crisis as was reported in few polling units and these results cancelled,” he advised.
The Governorship Candidate then congratulated the winner of the election, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, saying that he accepts the results.
He said that, those calling for its cancellation do not mean well for the Edo people, stressing that they should be told that Edo State is not a private estate of any individual and as such none should lay claim to love Edo State more than the other.
“As the Governor-Elect, prepare to hit the ground running, we advise that he should expand the composition of his cabinet beyond your political party, for you are now Edo State Governor-Elect and not that of APC,” he added.