Edo Governorship Election Marred by Irregularities, Declared Winner Sparks Outcry

The Edo State off-cycle governorship election, held on Saturday, September 21, 2024, has sparked widespread controversy following the declaration of Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Civil society groups and election observers have raised serious concerns about the election, calling it flawed and accusing INEC of failing to conduct a free and fair process. Reports of irregularities, including voter intimidation, vote-buying, and result manipulation, have dominated post-election reactions.

Murder of Democracy in Edo
Prince Emmanuel Odigie, Deputy Director General of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council, expressed outrage, describing the election as a “sham” and the “murder of democracy” in Edo State. Appearing on Arise Television, Odigie accused the APC of a premeditated plan to rig the election, stating, “You can see I’m in black. I am mourning the blatant rape and murder of our democracy in Edo.”

Odigie alleged that security personnel brought in by APC governors were used to intimidate voters and manipulate the electoral process. He claimed that the election was the worst ever conducted in Nigeria’s history. “It’s the worst ever off-cycle election to be conducted in Nigeria,” he lamented, highlighting the use of security forces to “brutalise Edo people.”

Yiaga Africa: Election Lacked Integrity
Yiaga Africa, one of the accredited election observers, also discredited the election, citing widespread irregularities. In a joint statement, the Chair of the Edo Election Mission, Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, and Yiaga Africa’s Executive Director, Samson Itodo, condemned the conduct of the election, particularly accusing INEC officials of manipulating results during the collation process.

“Yiaga Africa condemns the actions of some biased INEC officials who altered figures during collation,” the statement read, pointing to incidents of result manipulation and disruptions in key local government areas, including Ikpoba/Okha and Etsako West.

Widespread Vote Buying
Human rights lawyer Liborous Oshoma also weighed in, claiming that voters were induced with money, making it impossible to say they voted freely. “In Nigeria of today, you dangle N20,000 before somebody looking for urgent N2,000, certainly, he will sell his conscience,” Oshoma stated during an interview with Arise TV, pointing out that vote-buying was rampant.

Yusuf Asamah Kadiri, SAN, the Labour Party’s Deputy Governorship candidate, described the election as a “bazaar of commodisation and commercialisation of votes,” where parties openly bought votes and even bribed party agents. “It was transaction galore, a jamboree, a bazaar of commodisation,” Kadiri lamented, revealing that some agents were paid up to N100,000 to switch loyalties.

Oshiomhole Defends Election as Peaceful
Former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, defended the APC’s victory, dismissing claims of irregularities. Speaking on Channels Television, Oshiomhole referred to critics as victims of “misinformation,” asserting that the election was conducted peacefully. He attributed the victory to his party’s strategy, saying, “As you can see, our strategy worked which is why the people voted.”

Oshiomhole downplayed concerns about the integrity of the election, asserting that observers and media witnessed a peaceful process despite allegations of widespread manipulation.