Aggrieved members of Labour Party on Saturday took to the streets of Benin to protest what they regarded as irregularities in the local government council election held in the state on September 2nd, 2023.
Members of the party from Oredo and Ikpoba Okha local government councils in their large numbers protested to the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State council, to show their grievances.
The agrieved members who channted ‘Obaseki ole; Obaseki thief’; SSG ole; matched through the streets of Benin, calling cancellation of the election.
Speaking, chairmen of Labour Party in Ikpoba Okha Local, Jeffery Scott Emuakpor, his counterpart in Oredo, Enomayor Paul Adewumi and LP chairmanship candidate in Ikpoba-Okha, Osamudiamen Eghaghe, alleged that election materials were not evenly distributed.
They added that areas where the party was having sway, materials did not get there.
They also alleged that the party members were intimidated and harassed by local vigilant group at the various voting centres.
They said, based on the harassment, the party asked its agents, chairmanship candidates and councilors to pull out of the councils election, stressing that the whole exercise was a sham.
They, however, called on the Federal Government to henceforth allow INEC to be the sole body saddled with the responsibility of conducting all local government election in the country to avoid it being hijacked by the state government.
