Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has countereed claims by the factional Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff that the commission’s personnel did not monitor last Monday’s governorship primary in Edo State conducted by the Makarfi-led caretaker committee.
Sheriff while inaugurating his group’s version of the governorship election primaries committee for Edo State on Thursday in Abuja, said, “INEC is a creation of law and is created to monitor political parties. We are told officially that INEC did not send anybody to monitor the election.”
But in a swift reaction yesterday, the commission confirmed that its staff actually witnessed the PDP’s governorship primaries in the state.
Director of Voter Education and Publicity of INEC, Oluwole Osaze Uzzi, who spoke to journalists on telephone said that, “I am not aware of claims by anyone to the contrary, but all I can say is that INEC’s staff witnessed the PDP governorship and they are in the process of submitting their report.”
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, also confirmed to reporters that the commission was represented at the primaries which saw the emergence of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the PDP flag bearer.
