The Stolen Mandate: Unraveling the APC's Alleged Rigging of Edo State's 2024 Election

The Stolen Mandate: Unraveling the APC's Alleged Rigging of Edo State's 2024 Election

The 2024 Edo State governorship election has been marred by serious allegations of electoral malpractice and manipulation, casting a dark shadow over Nigeria's democratic process. What was meant to be a fair and transparent exercise has devolved into accusations of widespread rigging, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the center of these claims.

The Controversial Outcome

On Sunday, September 22, 2024, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo of the APC as the winner of the Edo governorship election. Okpebholo reportedly secured 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,274 votes. However, this result has been vehemently contested by the opposition and civil society organizations.

Allegations of Electoral Malpractice

The PDP and various observers have raised several alarming issues regarding the conduct of the election:

1. Result Manipulation: There are claims of widespread alteration of results at collation centers. The PDP alleges that figures were inflated in favor of the APC candidate.
2. Voter Suppression: The PDP accused the APC of suppressing votes in key populous local government areas, including Oredo, Egor, and Ikpoba/Okha.
3. Discrepancies in Voter Numbers: Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate, cited instances where the number of votes announced exceeded the number of accredited voters. In one polling unit in Ikpoba/Okha Ologbo, 2,110 votes were allegedly recorded for APC despite only 156 accredited voters.
4. Security Forces Interference: There were reports of security operatives barring party agents and observers from monitoring the collation process at INEC's office in Benin City.
5. Vote Buying: Allegations of widespread vote buying tainted the electoral process, with reports of arrests made by the police.

Civil Society Organisations' Verdict

Reputable civil society organizations have expressed serious concerns about the integrity of the election:

• The Situation Room, a coalition of CSOs, declared that the conduct of the election lacked credibility.
• Yiaga Africa, which deployed 300 stationary and 25 roving observers, discredited the election due to widespread irregularities, including result alterations by collation officers.

INEC's Role and Accusations

INEC has been accused of complicity in the alleged rigging:

• The PDP claims INEC officials were heavily procured to manipulate the ballot process and substitute genuine results with fictitious figures.
• There are calls for INEC to review the results based on what was uploaded on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, as stipulated by Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022.

Political Reactions

The controversy has sparked strong reactions from political figures:

• Asue Ighodalo described the election as potentially "the worst in the history of this country".
• Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, who chaired the PDP campaign council, expressed deep concern over the state of Nigeria's democracy, describing the election as an attack on the democratic process.
• The PDP has vowed to challenge the results in court, insisting that their candidate, Asue Ighodalo, was the rightful winner before the alleged alterations.

Condemnation and Call for Action

The alleged rigging of the Edo State governorship election represents a severe blow to Nigeria's democratic aspirations. It undermines the will of the people and erodes public trust in the electoral process. Such blatant disregard for democratic norms cannot be allowed to stand.We strongly condemn these alleged acts of electoral manipulation and call for immediate action:

1. INEC must conduct a thorough review of the election results, comparing them with the data uploaded to the IReV portal.
2. An independent investigation into the allegations of result manipulation, voter suppression, and security force interference should be initiated.
3. Those found culpable in any electoral malpractice must face the full force of the law.
4. The judiciary, as the last hope of the common man, must rise to the occasion and ensure that justice is served.

The rightful winner of this election, as chosen by the people of Edo State, must be installed as governor. Anything short of this would be a mockery of democracy and a dangerous precedent for future elections in Nigeria. The integrity of our electoral process and the sovereignty of the people's will must be protected at all costs.