Edo Election: PDP hired 8,000 militants to rig polls – Oshiomhole

The Governor of Edo state, Adams Oshiomhole, has accused Governors in the South-South of plotting with the Edo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the governorship polls which was slated to hold on September 10, 2016.

Oshiomhole also alleged that the PDP in Edo state hired 8,000 militants to rig the governorship elections.

The Edo Governor said this when he hosted the Inspector –General of Police, Ibrahim Idris at the Edo Government House.

He alleged that the Edo PDP liaised with Governors of Rivers and Delta states to bring militants to the state and disrupt the elections.

According to Leadership, Oshiomhole said “In line with my tradition, I have always tried to speak out on any matter that I am worried about. I first raised this alarm on the eve of INEC Continuing Voters’ Registration exercise, an exercise that has been designed to register those who have become eighteen between the last registration and the current one.

“But these criminals who are determined to perpetrate violence and deny us the beauty of a peaceful election, unable to find local participants have chosen to import these militants with the support of two or so of my brothers. When I say brothers, I mean brother governors. It doesn’t matter if I disagree with them, they are my brothers.

“They are exporting militants to Edo State to register so that with the PVC in their hands, they will appear to have the lawful basis to be present at the designated polling units where they are expected to unleash violence on election day.”

He said, “When I raised this alarm, I should expect naturally criminals are not as courageous as they seem. They denied that there was any such plan, but happily our ever vigilant, the peace-loving electorate were able to apprehend some of these people from other states that came into Edo State for the purpose of this exercise.

“At least, thirteen of them were handed over to the police. The IG may wish to establish what has happened to those people who were handed over. So, we handed them over to the police in line with what we were expected to do as civilised people.

“Having done that, we are clear that there are a lot of people, up to eight thousand of them who are non-resident in Edo State, who are not indigenes of Edo State, who are indigenes and residents of Delta and Rivers states and some other states in the South-South, some from Bayelsa state who have registered for the sole purpose not to swell the votes, but to be present in various locations on election day.

“Now, as part of the processes they put in place to effect this, they had conspirators in INEC that made available to them data capturing machine in the residences of various opposition leaders. We shared these experiences with the police and the DSS."

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State has described the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) claim that it influenced the postponement of the state governorship elections as idiotic.