Edo poll: CSOs faults result coalition process

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) accredited to observe the 2024 Edo State governorship elections has raised concerns over the transparency of the results collation process.

In a joint statement on Sunday in Benin City, the state capital, the CSOs cited several reports of disruptions at ward and local government collation centres. They pointed to incidents allegedly involving the intimidation of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and attempts to manipulate results contrary to both the provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC’s established guidelines.

The observer groups, which include the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, Yiaga Africa, Kimpact Development Initiative, the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, ElectHER, and TAF Africa, underscored their concerns regarding the credibility of the results collation process.

According to the statement, there had been multiple instances of attempted result tampering and mutilation, raising alarms about the validity of the figures being recorded at collation centers across the state. The organisations emphasised the need for INEC to act swiftly and decisively to address any violations of the electoral process.

The CSOs acknowledged INEC’s recent public commitment to investigating reports of result manipulation. INEC, through a statement issued on Saturday, confirmed that it had received complaints of result alterations and pledged to investigate the alleged violations.

The observer groups commended that move but stressed that INEC must go further by exercising its powers under Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022. They said that that section grants INEC the authority to review and overturn any declarations or returns where results were not declared voluntarily or where they contravened the regulations set forth in the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.

The observer groups also expressed concern over the role of security agencies in the results collation process. They urged that security personnel to refrain from any actions that could interfere with the collation or disenfranchise legitimate election stakeholders.

“Security agencies must safeguard the process, not undermine it”, the statement read. The CSOs called for greater access to collation centres for accredited party agents, election observers, and the media, insisting that transparency is critical to preserving the credibility of the election outcome.

The joint statement pleaded with INEC and all relevant stakeholders to maintain the integrity of the electoral process. According to the observer groups, the results’ collation process is a critical phase in ensuring free, fair, and credible elections, and any attempts to compromise this process will have far-reaching consequences for the outcome of the governorship race.

“As the collation of results continues, attention has been on INEC and the security agencies to guarantee that the process is conducted in strict compliance with the law, ensuring that the will of the Edo State electorate is reflected accurately in the final results”, the coalition said.