A twist was added to the Edo governorship election results on Tuesday when the ruling All Progressives Congress frontally attacked the Civil Society Organization, YIAGA Africa for its remarks that the election failed integrity test and thereby lacked credibility. The biggest criticisms of the Edo governorship election have emerged from Civil Society Organisations some of
A twist was added to the Edo governorship election results on Tuesday when the ruling All Progressives Congress frontally attacked the Civil Society Organization, YIAGA Africa for its remarks that the election failed integrity test and thereby lacked credibility.
The biggest criticisms of the Edo governorship election have emerged from Civil Society Organisations some of which are partners under the European Support to Democratic Governance who deployed large numbers of personnel and equipment to monitor the Edo governorship election as they have done in previous elections.
Yiaga Africa in its report which faulted the results of the Edo State governorship election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, noted that it failed its integrity test. The civil society group said it deployed the Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology to observe the Edo State governorship election, utilizing 300 stationary and 25 roving observers covering a representative sample of polling units across all 18 LGAs.
But the All Progressives Congress, who are beneficiaries of the election outcome has described the conclusion and methodology employed by YIAGA Africa as meddlesomeness in the affairs of INEC.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the candidate of the Alliance Peoples Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo winner polling 291,667 votes and defeating his main challengers, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party with 247,274 votes and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party who scored 22,763 votes.
YIAGA Africa observed in its report that it recorded incidents of results manipulation and disruptions during the ward and local government collations in Ikpoba/Okha, Etsako West, Egor, and Oredo LGAs, including intimidation of INEC officials, observers, and party agents and the collation of results.
The APC on Tuesday issued a statement taking YIAGA Africa for its comments on the election. The statement signed by Mr. Felix Morka, National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC) is reproduced here:
APC Excoriates YIAGA AFRICA Over Edo Governorship Election Result
“In its jostle for headline attention, Yiaga Africa, one of the many civil society organizations accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is overreaching its election observer mission to second-guess INEC on the result of last Saturday’s Edo state gubernatorial election.
“INEC is the sole statutory authority for the conduct and declaration of results of the election. Yiaga Africa is not, and must desist from constituting itself into, a parallel agency for the declaration of election results. Alleging that results were manipulated without hard facts and figures but based on some statistical guesswork is a clear disservice to the electoral process.
“Yiaga Africa’s report is a travesty, replete with methodological flaws, politicized observations, inconsistencies, and inaccuracies, and called its credibility into question.
“Election observer missions are not election management agencies and cannot usurp INEC’s statutory authority as the sole election management body in Nigeria. Doing so would constitute a clear breach of the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“While election observer missions, like Yiaga Africa, are at liberty to share their observations about the election process with INEC and the general public, however, declaring election results or second-guessing results declared by INEC in the performance of its statutory duties, falls beyond their observation mandate.
“Declaring or second-guessing the Edo state gubernatorial result based on unsubstantiated, unverified, highly questionable statistical parameters created by Yiaga Africa for Yiaga Africa is designed to create unnecessary confusion and the appearance of a parallel election process.
“We urge Yiaga Africa to refrain from enlisting itself in the season’s annals of infamy, alongside the likes of Governor Godwin Obaseki and his illegal and sinister midnight invasion of INEC’s offices, and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s illegal declaration of the bogus election result.
“The election’s outcome is an unequivocal rejection of the Obaseki administration’s bad governance and endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visionary policies, which are transforming Nigeria’s economic landscape, strengthening security, and promoting good governance.
“The APC reiterates its immense appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for ensuring a level playing field, to INEC for its professionalism, and to law enforcement agencies for their diligence and service during the election.
“By their votes, the good people of Edo State were loud and clear in their choice of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the next Governor to lead the state into a new era of peace, unity, people-centered development, and prosperity for all.
“Any disputes, contestations, or questions about the election may now be submitted to the courts for adjudication in line with electoral and constitutional norms and recourse mechanisms.”
