Ogun Polls: Observers Pass Confidence Vote On INEC’s Results

An election monitoring group, Forum of Election Observers Groups, has asserted that the outcome of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Ogun State, reflected the opinion of the vast majority of residents in line with the assessment of various stakeholders, including local observers.

Its coordinator, Comrade Ayodeji Ologun, who stated this yesterday at a media briefing in Ikeja, Lagos, expressed a vote of confidence on Independent National Electoral Commission (NEC) over the conduct and results of the polls.

The Forum of Election Observers Groups were among the 146,913 observers accredited by INEC, to Observe the 2023 general elections.

Ologun said, “As a group, we observed the 2023 Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembly elections and we wish to state that the results as announced by INEC during the last governorship and state assembly elections, were consistent with our parallel vote tabulation results estimates.

“A classic of this, is the result of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Ogun State, which were monitored by many of our leaders, herein present.

“Not minding various reactions that have trailed the outcome of the elections, we consider it a patriotic duty, to inform Nigerians, about our observations, and ultimately advise against tendencies that seek to undermine the progress, being recorded in our democratic journey, as a nation.

“While it is no doubt that several complaints have risen, as a result of the eventual outcome of the elections, particularly, last Saturday’s governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

“The March 18 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections witnessed a significant improvement in the performance of the INEC, and this in no doubt, impacted positively on the eventual outcome of the election.”

Ologun stressed that the clarification became necessary considering a series of reports and agitations, so far generated, by the outcome of last Saturday’s elections, and negative reports being attributed to it by some politically exposed interests.