Edo polls: Wike, Okowa, Makinde urge eternal vigilance at collation centres

National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council and Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, have called on the various stakeholders in the Edo State gubernatorial election to ensure the collation centres are secured.

• Oshiomhole warns of criminal intimidation at collation time, berates INEC

The governors who spoke to journalists in Benin City on Saturday, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the various security agencies for conducting what they called a peaceful election in the state.

” But the work is not over until the results of the election are released,” Wike said.

“The Edo election has been quite peaceful and I want to commend everybody for the peace we have enjoyed. Like I have always said, problems do not arise at election but during collation. So, we call on INEC to fulfill the promise it made to Nigerians that it will release the Edo election results at real time.

“We are very happy with the election so far. But you cannot find security presence at the ward collation centres. After results have been announced at polling units, we expect that police presence will be more at the ward collation centres.

“That is where we feel concerned now. We appeal to the federal government to mobilise security personnel to the various ward collation centres and the local government collation centres, so that the people’s mandate can be protected.

“I urge the people, the media, civil society organisations and voters to be vigilant at this time and watch over developments at the collation centres.”

Governors Okowa and Makinde also stressed the need to ensure that the success recorded in the voting process should be extended to collation of results so that the PDP and Nigerians will commend INEC, for a job well done.

“The people of Edo State have indeed spoken very loud and clear. We want the will of the people to remain sacrosanct and must not be subverted under any guise,” Makinde said.