By Mike O. Enahoro
_Saying, “Flooding in our Edo State Office has affected 4000 BVAS machines” is self-exposure of plans to rig the Edo election
I want to start this article with some vital questions; When Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s bulletproof vehicles develop a fault, does he announce it to the world before repairing or even replacing it? When some of the BVAS didn’t work in previous elections, what did Mahmood do? Did he need to announce to the world before replacing them? Let me believe that he is only announcing that “Flooding in our Edo State Office has Affected 4000 BVAS machines” to enable them to defraud the Federal Government as usual and not to use it as an excuse to rig the Edo election. No one should come and tell us that the BVAS didn’t work well that is why they have to resort to announcing their written down results.
Having said the above, the Edo State electorate is on high alert following allegations that Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may attempt to rig the 2024 elections. The recent flood damage to over 4,000 BVAS machines is perceived as a ploy to compromise the electoral process.
As the people of Edo would say, “Edo Nor Be Lagos,” emphasizing their determination to decide their own elections, free from manipulation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) branch of the INEC or APC branch of the Nigerian Police, NPF or any external forces. Any attempt to subvert the will of the Edo people will be vigorously resisted.
INEC must take immediate action to address the damaged BVAS machines. Since he does not know what to do, Prof. Mahmood should immediately:
1-Reprogramme not less than 4,519 fresh BVAS machines with reserves placed along each polling unit BVAS.
2-Deploy these machines to the Federal Secretariat in Benin City instead of the INEC office which is likely to be flooded even during the election.
The electoral commission must prioritize transparency and credibility. If necessary, consider postponing the elections by one or two weeks to ensure the integrity of the process.
Edo people demand free, fair, and credible elections. INEC and security agencies, especially from the APC branch of the NPF, must uphold their constitutional duties or face consequences.
The Edo electorate will not tolerate any attempt to undermine their democratic rights. INEC, the Nigerian Police, and all stakeholders must work together to ensure a peaceful, transparent, and credible electoral process.
We are reiterating that “Edo Nor Be Lagos.” The people will decide otherwise, they should be prepared to arrest everybody.
