A clash between the legal teams of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Benin on Wednesday disrupted the inspection of electoral materials used in the September 21 governorship election.
The PDP team insisted that the inspection should begin with the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), while the APC’s counsel argued that the process should start with the voters’ register, as stipulated in a court order obtained by the PDP at the tribunal.
Following the impasse, the PDP legal team left the venue without addressing the media.
APC counsel Victor Ohionsumua later spoke to reporters, stating, “The tribunal granted the PDP an ex parte order for the inspection of electoral materials. We, too, were proactive and filed for inspection, which was granted on October 7, 2024. On Tuesday, we were invited to start the inspection today at 10 a.m. Our legal team arrived and was given a schedule. However, moments later, the PDP legal team insisted on starting with BVAS.
“We pointed out the PDP’s court order, which specifies that the inspection should begin with the voters’ register. How can they comply with the order if they want to start with the BVAS? INEC acknowledged our objection and agreed that we should start with the voters’ register.
“Unfortunately, since we were not involved in preparing the schedule, we did not bring our own voters’ register today. We cannot inspect the voters’ register without a comparative register. We requested an adjournment due to the time constraints and were granted one. We will reconvene here tomorrow at 10 a.m., and all political parties involved—about seven—have agreed to this.”
In response to the situation at INEC, Mathew Iduoriyekewen, Director General of the Asue/Ogie Campaign Management Council, alleged that INEC was intentionally delaying the material inspection process, given the time-sensitive nature of the case before the tribunal. He stated, “It is clear that INEC is stalling. We have an injunction allowing our lawyers to inspect the materials, yet we’ve faced delays for two days despite our presence at INEC.
“Today, INEC summoned the lawyers of both parties, and when the APC arrived with a large number of individuals, it raised concerns. This isn’t the first material inspection; I don’t understand why it’s different this time. I will be there tomorrow to ensure INEC complies with the court order. We must either operate as a democracy or acknowledge if we’re in a dictatorship.”
APC acting Chairman Jarrett Tenebe expressed concerns about the voters’ register, claiming that the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, was not listed. He explained, “The ongoing case between the PDP and APC at the Supreme Court concerns the PDP candidate’s status as a registered member of the party in the state, which makes the voters’ register critical. We thoroughly examined the register provided by INEC before the election and found that Asue Ighodalo was missing. We want to scrutinize the register to ensure we’re not inspecting a fraudulent one.”
Outside the INEC office, APC members gathered, singing songs and praising the election winner, Senator Monday Okpebholo. Meanwhile, PDP supporters gathered at Ramat Park to avoid conflict, with police stationed around the INEC office. Access to the building was restricted with red tape, allowing only those with official business inside.
Gathered by: Praise Inalegwu