The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday, declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the disputed Edo State governorship election.

According to Faruk Adamu Kuta, INEC returning officer, Okpebholo garnered 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 247,274 votes, and Olumide Akpata, candidate of the Labour Party (LP) who got 22,763 votes.

The returning officer, who is the vice-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, said APC won in 11 local government areas while the PDP won in seven.

However, protests erupted in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, after the declaration of the APC candidate as winner of the election, with some residents saying that the election was marred by irregularities and rigging.

Hundreds of PDP supporters stormed the INEC headquarters in Benin City protesting against the outcome of the election. 

Some of the aggrieved Edo State residents were seen lamenting that the results didn't reflect their will.

Worst election in history -  Ighodalo 

Ighodalo, the PDP candidate, raised concerns about irregularities in the voting process, describing the election as potentially the ‘worst in the history of this country.’

Speaking during a press conference at the PDP Situation Room in Benin City on Sunday, Ighodalo claimed that PDP agents were barred from entering the collation center, a move, he said, undermines the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.

“From our perspective, the way these elections are going, they’re probably going to be the worst elections in the history of this country,” the PDP standard bearer said. 

Ighodalo pointed to discrepancies in the election results, citing instances where the number of total votes exceeded the number of accredited voters in over 20 polling units. He called this situation ‘totally unacceptable’ and indicative of a ‘result-writing scheme.’

“We have information, for instance, where we have over 20 polling units where the accredited voters were less than the total votes, which is not possible. We have over 20 polling units from the results that were announced on Saturday, where from their accredited voters, the total votes that they announced are more than the accredited voters,” he said. 

He further alleged that PDP collation agents were disenfranchised, while accusing the APC and its supporters of using violence, often under the guise of security agents, to disrupt voting processes and intimidate polling agents.

Ighodalo condemned the situation, saying such practices are unacceptable in modern-day Nigeria, and expressed disappointment in how the election has been conducted so far.

Our candidate won, PDP insists 

Earlier, the PDP had declared Ighodalo, its candidate, as winner of the Edo State governorship election based on results it collated from polling units across the state. 

In a press statement on Sunday signed by Debo Ologunagba, national publicity secretary, the party affirmed that the results announced by its agents and the Edo PDP National Campaign Council, led by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, showed that Ighodalo had a clear lead before the collation process was allegedly tampered with by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party accused the APC of manipulating the results during the state collation exercise, in collaboration with ‘unscrupulous’ officials of INEC and certain security operatives. 

According to the PDP, these actions included the alteration and substitution of legitimate results to favour the APC candidate. 

“Our Party again cautions INEC not to lose sight of the violent protest that trailed the criminal attempt by the former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Hudu Ari to alter the outcome of the 2023 Governorship election in that State which nearly led to the death of some INEC officials.”

CSOs raise transparency concerns 

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), on Sunday, expressed concerns over the transparency of the collation process.

In a joint statement released on Sunday, six observer groups, including the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, Yiaga Africa, Kimpact Development Initiative, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, ElectHER, and TAF Africa, highlighted incidents of intimidation of INEC officials and the manipulation of results at collation centers in various wards and local governments. 

The groups warned that these actions violated the Electoral Act and INEC’s own regulations, undermining the credibility of the election.

“Reports of disruptions at ward and local government collation centers, including intimidation of INEC officials and attempts to collate results contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, raise significant concerns about the credibility of the results collation process,” the CSOs said.