Edo Guber Election Will Be Free and Fair – Edo Rec Says Despite Ties to FCT Minister Wike

The Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Anugbum Onuoha, has told political parties and the public he will be impartial in conducting the upcoming gubernatorial election, despite concerns raised over his familial ties to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Onuoha challenged political parties in the state to come forward with any incriminating evidence that could question his competence and neutrality ahead of Saturday’s election.

“I am competent to handle this election,” Onuoha said. “I challenge all the political parties in Edo State to tell me what I have done wrong so far. I will not favour any political party. At the end of the day, the people of Edo will have an election that is free from pity.”

The allegations against Onuoha were brought forward by Tony Aziegbemi, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, who called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to redeploy him, citing his family connection to Wike.

Aziegbemi expressed concerns over Onuoha’s ability to oversee a fair election, given the political dynamics between Wike and the PDP’s governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who is backed by outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Responding to these claims, Onuoha dismissed the relevance of his relationship with Wike, highlighting his background as an Associate Professor of Law and his previous experience as an electoral commissioner in Rivers State, where no complaints were lodged against him.

“The mere fact that I am a cousin to Wike does not preclude me from being appointed. Am I not a Nigerian? Nigerians should have gone beyond this level,” Onuoha remarked.

The REC provided an update on the preparations for the election, confirming that sensitive materials had been deployed to local government areas, with all necessary stakeholders and agents from the 18 political parties present during the inspection.

He noted that there were no objections from party representatives

“The campaign for political parties ended yesterday at midnight. We have only one activity left, and that is the election for tomorrow,” Onuoha stated.

The political atmosphere in Edo State has intensified over the past year, with 95 cases of violence reported, including 35 incidents directly related to electoral violence.

This tension has been further fueled by Wike’s recent public declaration on Channels Television that he would not support Governor Obaseki or Ighodalo in the upcoming election, labelling Obaseki an “ingrate” after their previous political alliance ended in disappointment.

Despite Wike’s stance, Ighodalo responded by asserting that the decision of who becomes Edo’s next governor lies in the hands of the people, not external influencers.

West Africa Weekly earlier reported that the presidency also made a post on its official X handle to “endorse” the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, ahead of the Saturday gubernatorial elections.

The use of official government platforms for political campaigns violates ethical guidelines designed to maintain the neutrality of public office.

Also, the use of taxpayer-funded resources for partisan purposes undermines the integrity of the electoral process and creates a perception of bias.

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Oluwasegun Sanusi

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