Yiaga Africa and some other observers of the just concluded Edo Governorship election have again called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to review the election, stressing that unwholesome acts undermined the integrity of the election.
They noted that the results collation process was compromised by actions of some biased INEC officials in connivance with other actors.
Yiaga Africa alongside the Justice Development and Peace Centre (JDPC) Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City made their position known in a post-election statement entitled,”Edo State Governorship election fails the integrity test/standards.”
Recall that Yiaga Africa and other civil society organisations (CSOs) had in the course of result collation, called for a review of the election which was won by APC’s Senator Monday Okphebolo.
But CSO’s position on the election was countered by the 50 other groups who monitored the election as well as the APC leadership.
While PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo have begun the legal processes to reclaim their mandate, Yiaga Africa’s chair of the 2024 Edo Election, Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, and executive director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, yesterday expressed worry about the inconsistencies in the election results.
While they stressed the urgent need for political actors to change their attitude towards politics, the observers called for fundamental electoral reform to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
Abdullahi identified a lack of transparency in the results collation process, adding that the development led to the manipulation of results.
“While key processes such as accreditation, voting, counting and recording of results at the polling unit 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,” she said.
On his part, director of JDPC for the Benin Archdiocese, Rev. Fr. Benedict Onwugbenu, called on INEC to go back and review the Edo Governorship election.
JDPC, which stands for Justice, Development, and Peace Commission, is a Catholic organization dedicated to promoting social justice, development, and peace.
