The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced today that it will provide electoral materials from the September 21 Edo State governorship election to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for inspection. This move comes after the PDP accused INEC of intentionally withholding these materials to allegedly manipulate the election results in favor of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Edo State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Augbum Onuoha, confirmed the scheduled release during an interview on Tuesday. He responded to claims from the PDP that electoral materials were being delayed to prevent the party from filing a petition before the court’s deadline. “We have asked them to come tomorrow (Wednesday),” Onuoha stated.

In response to the perceived delays, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, alleged in a statement that INEC was deliberately withholding election materials to hide evidence of rigging. The PDP had secured a court order to access the materials, but claimed that INEC had consistently refused to comply.

ALSO READ: PDP to Challenge Edo Governorship Election Results Amid Fraud Allegations

Edo State Commissioner for Communication, Chris Osa Nehikhare, joined the chorus of complaints, accusing INEC of collaborating with the APC to obstruct the PDP’s legal efforts to challenge the results. Nehikhare further alleged that there were plans to destroy the electoral materials, including the BVAS machines, to erase any evidence of fraud.

INEC had earlier declared APC’s candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, as the winner of the election with 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes. However, the PDP insists the results were manipulated and vowed to challenge the outcome in court.

The PDP’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Olusegun Jolaawo, visited the INEC office in Benin City on Monday but was denied access to the election materials despite having a court order. On Tuesday, the women’s wing of the PDP staged a protest, accusing INEC and APC of robbing them of their candidate’s victory. Dressed in black, the protesters carried placards and vowed to continue their demonstrations until their demands were met.

The APC, however, denied any involvement in delaying the election materials. The Director of Publicity for the Edo APC Governorship Campaign Council described the PDP’s accusations as baseless and claimed that the protests were a result of the PDP’s frustration after losing the election.

As the deadline for filing a petition approaches, tensions between the PDP and INEC continue to escalate. The PDP remains determined to reclaim what it calls its “stolen mandate,” while INEC insists it will follow due process in making the electoral materials available for inspection.