By Kingsley Ohens
A coalition of accredited civil society organizations observing the 2024 Edo State governorship elections has expressed concerns regarding the transparency of the ongoing results collation process, citing disruptions at various ward and local government collation centers in reports issued on Sunday in Benin City.
They cited instances of intimidation against INEC officials and attempts to alter results, contravening both the Electoral Act’s provisions and INEC’s guidelines.
The observer groups, comprising the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, Yiaga Africa, Kimpact Development Initiative, the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, ElectHER, and TAF Africa, expressed their reservations about the integrity of the results collation process.
The statement highlights multiple incidents of attempted result manipulation and alteration, prompting concerns regarding the accuracy of data being compiled at state-wide collation centers. Consequently, the organizations urge INEC to promptly and firmly address electoral process violations.
In their statement, 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 this move but stressed that INEC must go further by exercising its powers under Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022. This 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 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 centers 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 concludes with a plea to 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.
