The Athena Centre, a non-profit organization, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of misconduct during the September 21 Edo State governorship election.
Following a review of the election, which resulted in the victory of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Monday Okpebholo as governor, the organization claimed the process was compromised.
Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,274 votes.
Read Also: Edo PDP Criticises Okpebholo, APC Over ‘Misrule’
Osita Chidoka, the founder of the Athena Centre and former Aviation Minister, presented the Centre’s findings on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, revealing what he described as substantial evidence of widespread electoral rigging.
“The evidence of systemic rigging observed in this election is so substantial that we cannot call the results,” Chidoka said on the programme.
“The evidence of systemic rigging is so substantial that we think that this election should not be allowed to stand. If this stands, then there is no election in 2027.”
Read Also: Thugs ‘Targeting Election Petition Documents’ Attack PDP Secretariat In Edo
He expressed shock that an institution like INEC would jeopardize its reputation for the sake of an election.
The former minister accused INEC of lacking transparency in the election process, citing discrepancies in voter accreditation.
He further claimed there were incidents of overvoting and manipulation at ward collation centres, and that the BVAS accreditation records were not transmitted to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
He also revealed that 153 polling units were unaccounted for, implying that no results were reported from those areas.
He concluded that the Edo State election could not be considered credible, as it failed to meet basic standards of integrity, with significant interference in the process by the electoral body.
For More Information And News Update, Join Informant Online WhatsApp Channel With Link Below:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
