Yiaga Africa, an accredited observer of the 2024 Edo State governorship election, has accused INEC of manipulating the results of the Edo State governorship election.
The election observe declared that the poll failed to meet integrity standards due to widespread manipulation of results.
This claim was made in a post-election statement co-signed by Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, Chair of the Edo Election Mission, and Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa.
Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the election winner, securing 291,667 votes, Yiaga Africa raised serious concerns. Okpebholo’s closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), garnered 247,274 votes, while Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata received 22,763 votes.
Yiaga Africa utilized its Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology to assess the election. This involved deploying 300 stationary and 25 roving observers across all 18 local government areas (LGAs). Despite some areas of compliance, the organization flagged significant lapses.
“PRVT enables us to independently evaluate Election Day processes and verify the accuracy of official results. However, widespread disruptions, especially in Ikpoba/Okha, Etsako West, Egor, and Oredo LGAs, alongside the intimidation of election officials and observers, compromised the election’s credibility,” Yiaga Africa stated.
The group highlighted statistical inconsistencies between its independent results and INEC’s official announcements. For instance, results for APC in Oredo and Egor LGAs, PDP in Esan West LGA, and Labour Party in Oredo LGA all deviated from Yiaga Africa’s PRVT estimates, indicating possible manipulation during collation.
Yiaga Africa condemned biased INEC officials and security personnel who interfered with the process. The report also decried the acts of violence and disruptions caused by political thugs, which undermined the integrity of the election.
Moreover, voter turnout was notably low at 22.4%, despite high voter card collection rates. This was lower than the 27% recorded in the 2020 elections. Still, Yiaga Africa commended voters for their resilience in turning out despite adverse conditions.
An INEC official, who requested anonymity, dismissed the statement as insufficient grounds to discredit the election. The official emphasized that there are legal avenues for addressing grievances, citing that INEC remains open to reviewing any complaints raised.
