Yiaga Africa, one of the approved observers for Saturday’s off-cycle governorship election in Edo State, reported that the election lacked integrity due to widespread manipulation of results.
This was stated in the organization’s post-election report, co-signed by Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, Chair of the 2024 Edo Election Mission, and Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged as the winner, having received 291,667 votes. He surpassed his closest competitor, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,274 votes, along with Labour Party (LP) candidate Olumide Akpata, who received 22,763 votes.
Yiaga Africa utilized the Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology for the election, deploying 300 stationary and 25 roving observers across a representative sample of polling units in all 18 LGAs. They identified significant lapses.
“The PRVT allows Yiaga Africa to independently evaluate Election Day processes and verify the accuracy of the official results declared by INEC. Observers were also placed at State and LGA results collation centers to monitor the proceedings and ensure timely and precise reporting of the election process.
“Having successfully implemented this methodology in two presidential elections and 16 off-cycle governorship elections, Yiaga Africa noted that while there was some compliance regarding material deployment, numerous incidents of results manipulation and disruptions were reported during the ward and local government collation processes in Ikpoba/Okha, Etsako West, Egor, and Oredo LGAs. These incidents included intimidation of INEC officials, observers, and party agents, alongside results being collated in violation of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, severely undermining the election’s credibility.
“Yiaga Africa is able to project vote shares for each party based on reports from sampled polling units. However, the organization can confirm election outcomes only when they align with its estimates. If the official results deviate from these estimates, they may have been manipulated.
“INEC reported the APC received 51.1% of the votes, the PDP 43.3%, and the LP 4.0%. However, analysis of 287 out of 300 sampled polling units (96%) revealed inconsistencies in the official results announced by INEC.
“For example, the official results for the APC in Oredo and Egor LGAs fall outside the PRVT’s estimates. In Esan West LGA, the official PDP results also do not match the PRVT predictions. Furthermore, in Oredo LGA, the LP’s official results deviate from the estimates.
“These discrepancies indicate possible alterations at the collation level. The differences between INEC’s official results and Yiaga Africa’s PRVT estimates suggest manipulation during the collation process.
“Yiaga Africa condemns the actions of certain biased INEC officials who modified figures during collation and the security personnel who interfered with the process. The disruptions in Ikpoba/Okha, Etsako West, Egor, and Oredo LGAs provided opportunities for election manipulation, raising serious concerns about the integrity and credibility of the results collation process,” the organization stated.
The report also denounced the violence and disruption caused by political thugs and hoodlums, particularly against voters and election officials, asserting that such actions undermine the elections’ integrity.
Yiaga Africa noted that the voter turnout did not meet expectations, as only 22.4% of voters participated, a decline from the 27% observed in 2020, despite high PVC collection rates.
“Nonetheless, Yiaga Africa appreciates the resilience of the voters who braved the rain and delays to fulfill their civic responsibilities,” the organization added.
In response, an INEC official stated that Yiaga Africa’s claims should not be taken as definitive evidence of the election’s outcome, emphasizing the availability of mechanisms for aggrieved parties to pursue their grievances through legal channels. The official, who requested anonymity, referred to Mallam Mohammed Haruna’s statement indicating that the commission would review any complaints it received and act as necessary.
