INEC Verification Portal Shows APC Governorship Candidate In Edo, Okpebholo Not Registered To Vote

The governorship campaigner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) successful the September Edo 2024 election, Senator Monday Okpebholo, appears not to person registered to ballot successful Edo State.

A cheque by SaharaReporters connected the website of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), revealed the development, contempt the person submitting a elector paper purportedly obtained from the Esan West Local Government Area.

Okpebholo, who was inaugurated into the Nigeria's 10th National Assembly, connected June 13, 2023, arsenic a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing Edo Central Senatorial District, was declared the victor of the APC governorship superior predetermination connected February 23, 2024.

According to the details submitted by Sen. Okpebholo successful his Form EC9 affidavit, which was sworn to connected March 5, 2024 astatine the Federal High Court successful Abuja and subsequently published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), his afloat sanction is Monday Okpebholo, and helium was calved connected August 29th, 1970 successful Irrua, Esan Central Local Government.

However, upon repeated verification connected INEC's authoritative elector verification portal (https://cvr.inecnigeria.org/vvs), it was recovered that Sen. Okpebholo's sanction is not registered to ballot successful immoderate of the 18 section governments successful Edo State, including his section authorities of Esan Central. 

The portal consistently returned a "Voter Not Found" connection for the Senator.

Meanwhile, the improvement has raised superior questions astir the authenticity of the voter's paper that Sen. Okpebholo submitted to INEC arsenic portion of his Form EC9 documentation. 

While being registered to ballot is not a law request to tally for Governorship oregon Senatorial seats, the presumption of a perchance forged paper exposes the campaigner to transgression litigation and post-election ineligible challenges.

A root successful INEC told SaharaReporters that the APC campaigner whitethorn person submitted a fake card, adding that "what helium submitted to INEC was deliberately blurred." 

However, the root said that "this is not INEC headache. It is near for the absorption parties who are contestants successful the coming predetermination to instrumentality it up."

With the termination of the 2024 INEC Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process, determination is nary accidental for the Senator oregon his governmental enactment to legally remedy this concern earlier the September 21, 2024 Governorship election.

SaharaReporters' effort to scope Sen. Okpebholo for remark were unsuccessful arsenic helium could not beryllium reached connected telephone arsenic of the clip of filing this report.

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