Yiaga Africa, an accredited observer for the Edo State off-cycle governorship election, has raised concerns over the credibility of the poll, claiming that the election results were manipulated.
The group stated that the election, held on Saturday, failed to meet integrity standards.
In a post-election statement co-signed by Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, Chair of the 2024 Edo Election Mission, and Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, the organisation pointed to widespread irregularities during the collation process. This comes after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner with 291,667 votes. His closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), garnered 247,274 votes, while Labour Party (LP) candidate Olumide Akpata received 22,763 votes.
Yiaga Africa, which deployed 300 stationary and 25 roving observers to monitor a representative sample of polling units across all 18 local government areas (LGAs), said it found significant discrepancies. The group employed its Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology to independently assess the election.
“While there was some compliance with material deployment and other processes, the incidents of results manipulation and disruptions during collation in Ikpoba/Okha, Etsako West, Egor, and Oredo LGAs severely undermined the credibility of the election,” the statement read.
Yiaga Africa highlighted specific inconsistencies between its PRVT estimates and the official results announced by INEC, particularly in Oredo, Egor, and Esan West LGAs. These discrepancies led the group to conclude that results were altered during collation. Yiaga Africa also condemned the actions of biassed INEC officials and security personnel who interfered with the collation process.
The report further criticised the acts of violence and disruption carried out by political thugs, which targeted voters and election officials, casting doubt on the integrity of the process.
Voter turnout was another area of concern, as only 22.4% of registered voters participated in the election, a decline from the 27% turnout recorded in 2020, despite high PVC collection rates.
“Yiaga Africa commends the resilience of voters who turned out despite the challenges, but the low turnout is a clear indication of declining public confidence in the electoral process,” the statement added.
In response, an unnamed INEC official said Yiaga Africa’s report should not be the sole basis for judging the election’s credibility, noting that there are legal mechanisms available for aggrieved parties. INEC has also indicated that it is reviewing complaints received regarding the election and will take appropriate action.
The outcome of the Edo governorship election remains a subject of contention, as various stakeholders question the fairness of the process amidst reports of irregularities.
