As the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State draws near, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has firmly rejected calls from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to redeploy the State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Anugbum Onuoha.
The PDP has demanded the immediate removal of Anugbum Onuoha, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo, citing his close relationship with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as a potential conflict of interest.
The controversy stems from Onuoha’s familial connection to Wike, a former governor of Rivers State and now a minister in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet. Wike, who played a key role in Governor Godwin Obaseki’s successful 2020 re-election bid, is now seen as being aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC), sparking fears among the PDP leadership that Onuoha might influence the election in favor of the APC.
In a formal letter submitted to INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, Edo PDP Chairman Anthony Aziegbemhin called for Onuoha’s redeployment. “The ties between these two are too close to ignore as they share familiarities and are also close associates,” Aziegbemhin wrote, highlighting Onuoha’s previous roles in Wike’s administration as Commissioner and Special Adviser for Lands, Survey, and Housing.
PDP’s concerns were further heightened after Wike admitted during a television interview that Onuoha is indeed his cousin. This admission only added fuel to the PDP’s call for Onuoha’s removal, with the party stressing that his position as REC poses a serious threat to a fair election in Edo State.
However, INEC has firmly rejected these calls. Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, the INEC Chairman reiterated that Onuoha would remain in his position and urged the PDP to focus on the election process rather than the individual overseeing it.
