Edo polls: Athena Centre’s reports partisan – Kassim Afegbua

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Kassim Afegbua, has faulted the report by Athena Centre claiming the Edo governorship election was rigged.

DAILY POST reports that Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, a non-partisan research institute, over the weekend, indicted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the conduct of the September 21 Edo State governorship election.

The organisation, which conducted a review of the election that produced APC candidate Monday Okpebholo as governor of the South-South state, claimed that it was compromised.

DAILY POST reported that Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to beat his closest contender, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who polled 247,274 votes.

However, Afegbua, in an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, said the PDP are bad losers and the report is heavily influenced by the party’s position.

“Athena Centre’s report/claims of rigging in the Edo governorship election are “partisan” and only echoed PDP’s thoughts,” he said.