The Labour Party has rejected the rerun election that took place in Edo State, Saturday.
Bellnewsonline.com reports that Kelly Ogbaloi, the Edo State Labour Party Chairman, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the election and schedule another date for the rerun.
Ogbaloi described the election as a sham and alleged that it was marred by irregularities and violence by thugs suspected to be loyal to the PDP in the state.
At a press conference in Benin, Ogbaloi claimed that members of the Labour Party, including a candidate of the party, Derek Uhunmwagho, were beaten up and chased away from the polling units where the rerun election was taking place. He dissociated the party from the alleged charade.
Ogbaloi further alleged that the Labour Party was surcharged over 2000 votes in the last election, which INEC has promised to investigate and make necessary corrections.
Similarly, the Labour Party national chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, issued a statement in Abuja, stating that there was no rerun election in Edo State.
According to him, reports reaching the national secretariat of the party revealed that agents of the PDP allegedly deployed by the state government chased away Labour Party candidates and supporters from voting in all the affected polling units.
Abure added that all the polling units in the local government areas where the rerun election was being held were already won by Labour Party candidates, but because INEC officials were compromised, they decided to cancel them and order a rerun.
The Labour Party has therefore called on INEC to take urgent steps to address the situation and ensure that the will of the people prevails.