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The recently
concluded primary elections, which produced candidates representing the
various political parties for the April general elections, were
severally manipulated and massively rigged, the Edo State residence
electoral commissioner, Rose Obuoforibo, said yesterday in Benin City.

Speaking at an
interactive session with party leaders yesterday, she stated that
though the electoral body was an observer to the primaries, some of
them were already concluded with pre-determined results written before
its officials could arrive at the venue of the primaries.

Mrs. Obuoforibo,
however, said that since it was an observer to the primary elections,
it lacked the power to indict those involved in perpetrating electoral
malpractice, since primary election was a political party affair,

“We, however, made reports of our observations to the appropriate quarters,” she said.

She also explained
the procedures involved in the Modified Open Ballot System, which INEC
has adopted for the April election, pointing out that in polling units
where the number of votes exceeds the total number of accredited
voters, result would be cancelled and fresh election conducted.

Adequate monitoring

She revealed that
the electoral body would make use of surveillance cameras during the
April election to capture events at each voting centre, including the
activities of unscrupulous elements who might be bent on discrediting
the elections.

“Some 21 political
parties would be participating in the elections in Edo State, which has
2629 polling units and 192 collation centres,” she said.

The Edo electoral
official further stated that training of ad-hoc staff was in progress,
adding that machineries have been put in place to meet the shortfall in
staffing due to inadequate number of youth corps members.

Stressing that the
commission was doing everything within its power to correct the lapses
in past elections, Mrs. Obuoforibo called for the support of political
leaders to ensure free, fair and credible polls.

The interaction,
which featured question and answer session, was attended by
representatives of various securities agencies, politicians, civil
society groups, and the media.