By GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

BENIN—BARELY 72 hours after Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, released the time-table for the conduct of elections into the 18 local government areas in  the state, Director of Publicity and Strategy of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, Mr. Okharedia Ihimekpen, has called for the boycott of the elections.

Ihimekpen, who fielded questions from journalists in Benin, yesterday, described the time-table as a farce, saying that the election was already being tele-guided by the state government.

However, Edo State chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Mr. Thomas Okosun, said the call for a boycott was uncalled for and advised Edo people to ignore Ihimekpen’s call to avoid what he termed PDP’s deception.

He said: “I do not know Ihimekpen being PDP mouthpiece. He is entitled to his opinion but what he has said is far from the truth. If there is anybody that is an apostle of one man one vote, it is the state governor.”

Ihimekpen had said: “My feeling about the purported election is that the election Oshiomhole wants to conduct is a farce and a smokescreen. My personal opinion is that all political parties should boycott the election because Oshiomhole has already written the result in Government House.

“I am speaking because I am privy to some information, where he has said that he is going to have 18 over 18. So, people should boycott the so-called election. To crown it all, the election itself has already failed, because by the time-table, last Tuesday, they were to meet with all political parties, but no political party was there. So I urge all political parties to boycott this election.”