Edo PDP Sues Edsiec Over Alleged Collection Of Money For Forms

[Shola Sholaz]

Edo State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has dragged Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, before an Edo State High Court seeking to compel the commission to refund the N100,000 and N50,000 it collected from chairmanship and councillorship candidates respectively, as payment for forms for the April 20, local government elections in the state.
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State chairman of the party, Chief Dan Orbih, who spoke at Fugar,  Estako Central Local Government Area, during the flag-off of the party's campaign for the forthcoming council election, expressed his party's reservation over what he called the poor funding of EDSIEC by the state government.
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He said: "Last week, we went to the state high court in Benin City, where we filed an action, demanding that EDSIEC should refund the N100,000 and N50,000 it collected from chairmanship and councillorship candidates. We believe that EDSIEC's action is unconstitutional, illegal and we are relying on section 106 and 107 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which gave no such powers to the commission to demand for such money.
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"We are also not dissatisfied with the funding of EDSIEC by the state government. They should provide them with enough money to conduct this election, and not to be taking money from candidates. The positions are not for sale."
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He recalled that in the last governorship election in the state, no candidate was made to pay for the form.