PDP accuses Oshiomhole, el-Rufai of influencing Edo poll’s postponement

Adams Oshiomhole

Alexander Okere, Benin

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has accused Governor Adams Oshiomhole of allegedly using his Kaduna State counterpart, Nasir el-Rufai, to influence the postponement of the governorship election in order to buy time to rig the poll.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had, last Thursday, postponed the election from September 10 to September 28, citing security reports received by the ‎Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Security over threats by insurgents to cause violence during the exercise.

The Edo State PDP chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, at a press briefing on Wednesday in Benin, claimed that the party received information from the Government House that the Kaduna State governor allegedly influenced a national commissioner of the INEC to postpone the election.

El-Rufai is the Deputy Chairman of the National Campaign Council of the APC for the Edo State governorship election.

 However, the Edo State Government has denied the allegations, adding that the PDP is jittery over the election.

 The spokesperson for INEC in Edo, Mrs. Priscilla Imoudu-Sule, also dismissed the allegations.

 Imoudu-Sule, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone said, “I want to say that the electoral oficers have been very busy retrieving their materials from their camp. Also, they have brought their card readers for fresh reconfiguration.

 “So, all those things anybody is saying are not from here; they are just their imagination. I would rather advise that they go and campaign for the remaining two weeks and make up for that time. They should leave the administrative issues for INEC alone.”