A source told SaharaReporters that Arab-Shehu was deliberately posted to Edo by the INEC Chairman despite the fact that he rigged election in favour of the APC in Kano State.
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has approved the deployment of five Resident Electoral Commissioners to Edo ahead of the September 19 governorship election in the state.
Among those posted to Edo is Kano State REC, Prof Riskuwa Shehu, known to have conducted one of the most violent and fraudulent governorship elections in Nigeria.
Shehu was also involved in the November 16 Kogi State governorship election.
Recall that the 2019 governorship election in Kano supervised by Arab-Shehu was marred by violence and fraud in which about 10 people were reportedly killed.
Few days before polls, a video showing the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Abbas, describing the election as “do or die” went viral on the Internet.
In the short video, the party chairman also assured supporters that his party would provide maximum protection for members even if it means ensuring the dismissal of police officers who try to restore order.
Despite widespread reports of violence in the election, Arab-Shehu declared the governorship candidate of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, winner of the governorship election.
Ganduje had earlier lost the first election held on March 9 by about 26,000 votes, but his total votes in the two polls put him ahead of his main challenger -- candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party -- Abba Yusuf.
Thugs, many of whom donned tags of the APC, attacked journalists covering the exercise.
A source told SaharaReporters that Arab-Shehu was deliberately posted to Edo by the INEC Chairman despite the fact that he rigged election in favour of the APC in Kano State.
“He was posted there for a reason, he is the mastermind of violent rigging of Kano rereun election, in which women were raped and opposition voters prevented from casting their votes.
"Prof Mahmud Yakubu deliberately posted him to Edo despite the compromising fact that Ganduje is leading APC’s campaign. This is a man that is widely known to be partisan and close to Ganduje,” the source said.