APC Aspirant Demands Prosecution Of Edo REC
By Editor
An All Progressives Congress, (APC) aspirants in the just concluded primaries in Edo State, Prince Lucky Igbinedion has accused Mr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the State of forgery and falsification of results of the Primary Election held by All Progressives Congress, APC in Edo State.
These accusations are contained in a petition titled, “An Appeal to Arrest, Investigate and Prosecute Mr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem for Forgery of INEC Report and attached a forged report in favour of one Osamwonyi Atu in breach of Section 463; 464 and 465 of the Criminal Code”, sent and received by the Edo State Commissioner of Police.
In the four page documents revealed that Prince Igbinedion is accusing the controversial REC of forging, altering and swapping result of the primary election conducted by APC in Orhionmwon East Constituency in favour of one Mr. Osamwonyi Atu, who the petitioner claimed abstained from the election.
The petitioner also alleged that the election that produced him as winner was monitored by Christie Akpe Onyibe assigned by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, who wrote report on the outcome, but to his chagrin, the REC, Sinikiem substituted the report and forwarded same to INEC office in Abuja.
Party of the petition reads, “Sir on the 26th of May, 2022, the All Progressives Congress organised a primary election for Edo State House of Assembly for Orhionmwon East Constituency. The said primary election took place at the All Progressives Congress secretariat at Abudu, the administrative headquarters of Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State. The National headquarters of APC sent a Primary Election Committee to organize the said primary.
“Surprisingly, despite the sub-committee’s report, one Ebubeagu Felix in connivance with some top officers of APC in Edo State, including the secretary, Mr. Lawrence Okah, State Chairman, Col David (Imuse), after inducement to the tune of tens of millions, wrote a fake result in favour of Osamwonyi Atu, who was absent from the primary election.
“In order to prop up the fabricated result, the said persons contracted the Resident Electoral Officer in Benin, Edo State, Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem, who signed a report for Osamwonyi Atu that he won the primary election in which he did not participate, neither did he garner any vote.”
The petitioner also informed the Commissioner of Police that: “Dr. Johnson perfected this plan and hide the original INEC report from the Electoral officer for Orhionmwon LGA, Mrs. Christie Akpe and sent the one he forged to INEC office in Abuja, attaching a result sheet that was forged, where they allegedly alloted 14 delegates votes to Osamwonyi Atu, 9 Delegates votes to Stephen Idehen and initial nil Delegates votes and on top wrote 6 Delegates votes for me in a clumsy and untidy manner.”
He further appealed to the Commissioner of Police that the All Progressives Congress Appeal Committee for the Edo State House of Assembly Primary Election, set up by the National Working Committee of the party has investigated this matter and invalidated the illegal primary report written for Osamwonyi Atu, without any delegates voting for him and recommended that I should be declared the winner of the primary election, having polled 16 votes of total of 20 that voted.”
As it is in the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Igbinedion said, “…the corrupt acts of Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem has thrown confusion in the All Progressives Congress, resulting into pre-election litigation in two separate suits before the Benin Judicial of the Federal High Court and Mr. Osamwonyi Atu the truant and absentee aspirant has presented this forged result and forged INEC report as evidence before the court.”
There are fears amongst politicians in Edo State, that the outcomes of the 2023 general elections may be subverted by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem.
