Edo guber poll failed integrity test – Yiaga Africa

Civil Society group, Yiaga Africa has condemned the results of the Edo State governorship poll conducted on Saturday, saying it failed the integrity test.

Yiaga Africa, in a report on Monday, signed by Aisha Abdullahi, its chair of the 2024 Edo Election Mission, and Samson Itodo, the executive director, noted that the 2024 Edo governorship election failed the electoral integrity test due to the lack of post-election statement on the transparency in the results collation process, which according to it, led to the manipulation of results.

“While key processes such as accreditation, voting, counting, and recording of results at polling units substantially complied with procedures, the results collation process was compromised by the actions of some biased INEC officials in connivance with other actors.

“This manipulation severely undermines the overall integrity of the election, “part of the report stated.

The group said it arrived at this conclusion after deploying the Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology to observe the Edo State governorship election.

The method, it said, involved 300 stationary and 25 roving observers covering a representative sample of polling units across all 18 LGAs.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the disputed election.

His major challengers were Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP).

The APC candidate polled 291,667 votes, while Ighodalo garnered 247,274. Akpata finished a distant third with 22,763 votes.

Read also: Edo Decides: INEC announces 16 LGAs, APC wins 10, PDP 6

The group said it recorded incidents of results manipulation and disruptions during ward and local government collation in Ikpoba/Okha, Etsako West, Egor and Oredo LGAs, including intimidation of INEC officials, observers and party agents and the collation of results.

“Yiaga Africa’s estimates are based on official results announced at the polling unit, from a representative random sample of polling units.

“As highlighted in our pre-election report, Yiaga Africa will amongst other factors consider the quality of election day processes in assessing whether the 2024 Edo governorship satisfies the electoral integrity test.

In this regard, Yiaga Africa considered the integrity of accreditation, voting, counting, and collation of results.

“INEC consistently applied its guidelines in managing the accreditation and voting process in a significant number of polling units.

“Despite some isolated incidents, the post-election statement on the September 2024 Edo State Governorship Election of inadequate election materials, the BVAS machines functioned optimally, and all voters in the queue by 2:30pm were allowed to vote, despite the late opening of polls.

“The polling officials uploaded polling unit results on the IReV in a timely manner, making it possible for citizens to access polling unit level results.

“However, the incidents of results manipulation and disruptions during ward and local government collation in Ikpoba/Okha, Etsako West, Egor and Oredo LGAs, including intimidation of INEC officials, observers and party agents and the collation of results contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, severely undermine the credibility of the election results.”