In the early hours of Sunday, September 22, 2024, tension flared in Benin as Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) Frank Mba, overseeing the Edo governorship election, ordered Governor Godwin Obaseki to leave the premises of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Governor Obaseki arrived at the INEC office around 3 a.m., accompanied by his security aides, and held a closed-door meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC). This visit sparked outrage among members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who gathered outside INEC’s office in protest. Among the protesters were Ajibola Basiru, the APC National Secretary, and Dennis Idahosa, the running mate of APC governorship candidate Senator Monday Okpebholo.
Idahosa and Basiru accused Obaseki of abusing his position, claiming he had no official reason to be at the INEC office since he was not a candidate. “Obaseki must come out. He is not an INEC staff,” Idahosa demanded, urging the police not to compromise.
As the protests grew louder, DIG Mba intervened, entering the INEC office and firmly ordering Obaseki to leave. When the governor seemed distracted, Mba escalated the situation, instructing police officers to escort him out of the premises.
Shortly after Obaseki’s departure, INEC announced that the collation of election results would begin at 10 a.m. It remains unclear whether the governor’s meeting with the REC was related to the delay in the result collation process.
News Editor