Edo Gubernatorial Election Results Lacked Transparency, Credibility – Situation Room

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has raised serious concerns over the credibility of the recently concluded Edo State governorship election, questioning the transparency of the collation process.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner on Sunday, with 291,667 votes. He defeated his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who secured 247,274 votes, while Akpata trailed in third place with 22,763 votes.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Mimidoo Achakpa, co-convener of the Situation Room, criticized the collation process, alleging that it did not adhere to the provisions of the Electoral Act or INEC’s guidelines. According to Achakpa, representatives of the candidates were not granted proper access to the collation process, undermining transparency.

“The process lacked transparency in the application of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, particularly regarding over-voting and result cancellations at polling units,” Achakpa said. She further expressed concerns over inconsistent rules applied to the cancellation of ballots across various local government areas (LGAs), stating, “The operation of collation centers in darkness in some locations also raises questions.”

The Situation Room also reported discrepancies between final results and those recorded at polling units in several LGAs, including Egor, Ikpoba Okha, Oredo, Esan West, and Ovia South-West.

Achakpa highlighted reports of over-voting, particularly in over 370 polling units across Edo’s 18 LGAs, based on observations from groups like the Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa (CDD-West Africa).

“The Edo State Governorship election 2024 failed to meet the standard for credible elections and raises ongoing concerns about the credibility of elections in Nigeria,” Achakpa added.

The Situation Room urged INEC to investigate polling and collation officers involved in alleged violations and called for clarification on inconsistencies in the election results. Additionally, Achakpa called on security agencies to provide updates on arrests made during the election and actions taken against officers involved in malpractice.