Press Release

The Governorship Election for Edo State was conducted on 21st September 2024, with 2,249,780 Permanent voter cards collected to vote for 17 candidates in 4,519 polling Units in 192 Registration areas. The Independent National Electoral Commission accredited 134 domestic and foreign observers with 114 media organisations expected to deploy 721 personnel and over 43,000 security personnel deployed despite these extensive preparations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, observers and other stakeholders. The Election has raised serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and falls short of internationally established and accepted standards for credible elections. There were confirmed reports that the election was characterised by manipulation of votes, intimidation of poll officials, vote-buying, and significant irregularities that undermined the credibility of the results.

Our tracking from media reports  revealed numerous cases of:

• Vote buying: The election was marred by the widespread distribution of financial and material inducements to voters, undermining the principles of free and fair elections.
• Low Voter Turnout: The election witnessed low voter turnout, with only 25.9% of registered voters who had collected their PVCs participating. This low level of voter engagement validates critical questions and conclusions about political participation, voter confidence, and the legitimacy of the electoral process made in the Citizens Perception report by the CJID. Implications of the 25.9% turnout mean that a vast majority of eligible voters—nearly 8 out of every 10 people—did not cast their votes.
• Disruption of collation and Intimidation of poll officials: Multiple reports from media sources and accredited observers reported disruption of collation at ward and local government levels. Electoral officials were subjected to harassment and threats, creating an environment where they could not perform their duties freely and fairly.
• General irregularities: Reports indicate multiple violations of electoral procedures, including instances of over-voting recorded at some polling units, which were included in the declared results and uploaded to IREV. Additionally, there were delays in the arrival of materials and malfunctions of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in certain areas, raising further concerns about the transparency of the process.

Recommendations for Action

1. INEC must review the election: The commission should use its powers under Section 65 of the Electoral Act to review the irregularities and act accordingly to ensure that the results announced truly reflect the votes cast. Anything less would amount to tacit approval of manipulated results and send a dangerous signal that INEC is unwilling to uphold the principles of credible elections in Nigeria.
2. Prosecution of political actors involved in misconduct: Political parties and candidates who engage in electoral misconduct must be prosecuted and sanctioned under the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 to deter potential offenders.
3. Sanctions for electoral officials involved in malpractice: INEC must identify and prosecute any electoral officials who were complicit in vote manipulation, ensuring they face the full weight of the law.
4. Introduction of more technology in elections: There is a need for INEC to deploy the use of more technology that can track accreditation numbers in real time. Allowing BVAS records to be uploaded to the backend with only pictures of results uploaded on IREV gives room for manipulating election results. 
5. The Judiciary: In the pre-election survey for Edo State by the CJID, only 35% of citizens trusted the judiciary to be impartial in adjudicating election-related cases, hence we call on the judiciary to remain steadfast in upholding impartiality when adjudicating the election petitions that will come before it in respect of the elections and ensure that their decisions are based solely on the law and evidence presented, without influence from political pressures or external interests. 

Nigeria’s democracy can only thrive if our elections are free, fair, and credible. INEC must become bolder in using powers granted to it by our laws to hold stakeholders to account and ensure that all results declared live up to the people’s wishes.  We stand with the people of Edo State in demanding accountability and transparency. INEC must take swift and decisive action to restore confidence in our electoral system.

Akintunde Babatunde

Director of Programmess

CJID