… _Obaseki moves to buy votes, pressure INEC to conduct CVR_
Palpable fear have enveloped the camp of Edo Governor Godwin Obaseki as an analysis released by election experts hired by him have shown that Asue Ighodalo will lose the Edo2024 Gubernatorial election coming up in September this year.
The election experts hired by Obaseki himself from Lagos have a good track record of predicting outcome of election in Nigeria.
The group who used sampling of voters opinions across the 18 local government areas released their findings projecting a 55% victory for APC candidate Senator Monday Okpebholo.
PDP’s Asue Ighodalo is said to trail behind the APC candidate with a 35% vote while Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata was projected to secure 9% with other candidates cumulating just 1%.
The report said Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressive Congress will win in Etsako West, Etsako East, Etsako Central, Owan East, Owan West and Akoko Edo Local Government Areas.
In Edo Central surprisingly the report projected APC’s Senator Monday Okpebholo to sweep all five Local Governments in the Senatorial District including Asue Ighodalo’s Esan South East.
The report however streamlined the battle to Edo South where APC is projected to sweep Orhionmwon, Uhumode, Ovia South West, Ovia North East and Egor LGAs.
Surprisingly Asue Ighodalo of PDP is projected to win Ikpoba Okha and Oredo but with a margin not significant enough to cause any upset.
This report has raised tension in government house with Obaseki seeking various options to turn the tides of events.
Government house sources say Obaseki is hinging on massive vote buying in various guises including giving money to traders, supply of palliatives to religious bodies, socio political groups, civil societies, traditional rulers and so on.
Obaseki is also mounting pressure on INEC to conduct a continuous voter registration to enable young voters who were mostly not up to age during the last registration exercise to get their permanent voters card and participate in the election.
Sources from INEC Headquarters in Abuja said though there are pressures from Governor Obaseki to conduct the CVR exercise, time was not favourable for the project as the election was barely four months away.