₦airaland Forum

From Esan North East to Akoko Edo, Oredo, and Owan West, testimonies from party agents and independent monitors consistently indicate that INEC enforced strict adherence to its electoral guidelines. Afuda Theophilus Idemudia, who monitored the election in Esan North East, confirmed that despite the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) agent signing the election results, the discovery of over-voting led to their outright cancellation. This immediate nullification of compromised results prevented any party from unfairly benefiting from electoral discrepancies.

Similarly, in Oredo LGA, the APC’s Collation Agent, Engr. Gabriel Iduseri, testified that no political party raised objections to the election’s conduct. However, when over-voting was detected in Polling Unit 8, Ward 10, INEC officials invalidated the results at the Ward Collation Center. This proactive measure reinforces the fact that over-voting was addressed impartially, irrespective of the political party involved.



The testimonies of these witnesses has further thrown more light on the unusual but significant aspect of the election: broad agreement among political parties on the fairness of INEC’s process.



Hon. Frank David, APC’s Collation Agent for Owan West LGA, confirmed that neither he nor any other party agent – including those representing PDP and Labour Party – contested the final results. The fact that agents from opposing political parties signed off on the result sheets is a strong endorsement of the credibility of INEC’s collation process.

Moreover, Kamarudeen Coker Bello, the APC’s Local Government agent in Akoko Edo, corroborated that election results were canceled in cases where over-voting was detected, reinforcing the non-partisan application of electoral rules. These cancellations ensured that no party, including the then ruling led by former Governor Godwin Obaseki or the then opposition APC, gained an unfair advantage due to compromised vote counts.

The consistent and non-discriminatory approach taken by INEC in invalidating results affected by over-voting simply speaks to institutional safeguards against electoral fraud. The electoral body’s reliance on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has further strengthened the transparency of the process, making it easier to detect and rectify irregularities. In this election, over-voting did not translate into a gain for any party, as INEC ensured that all such cases were expunged from the final vote tally.


Let me add that, the absence of formal complaints from party agents at the collation centers demonstrates a level of consensus rarely seen in contentious elections. It suggests that the process was conducted in a manner that inspired confidence among stakeholders, reinforcing public trust in the electoral system.

The testimonies before the tribunal have painted a clear picture of an election where INEC upheld its mandate to conduct a free, fair, and credible process. By systematically identifying and canceling results tainted by over-voting, INEC ensured that no political party unfairly benefited from irregularities. The absence of complaints from party agents at critical collation points, coupled with their willingness to sign off on final results, further affirms the credibility of the process that led to the victory of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the governor of Edo state.

While electoral systems are never perfect, the Edo election stands as a case study in how an electoral body can mitigate irregularities without partisan bias. The tribunal proceedings have, if anything, reinforced the fact that the election’s outcome was determined not by electoral fraud but by the democratic will of the people.

omoredia:
Stupid talk. If there it's over voting then it is not a credible election and any winner is not credible

Aify147:
Inec under Yakubu is nothing but a sham. It is very clear to even the blind and the deaf that Peter Obi won 2023 presidential election, Asue Ighodalo won Edo guber election, yet inec declared their own candidates. How on earth can inec convince Nigerians again to come out and vote? Sham!!!!!!

okeyfx:
I don't need to read this post.

NA LIE YOU DEY LIE IF YOU BELIEVE EDO PEOPLE VOTED A BUFFONE INTO GOVERNMENT HOUSE AHEAD OF ASUE AND OLU

Okpebholo1:
They are more connected to that buffoon that a stranger from Lagos

Okpebholo1:
You lie. Where is the technicality? Who told you it is reflecting? PDP only speculated and assumed that it is still reflecting, they never gave any evidence of it being included in the final tally

Okpebholo1:
Didn't you read where they said inec cancelled areas affected by overvoting?

omoredia:
That's not the work of inec. Thats not a credible election. Inec have indicted themselves. There is a different between invalidation of votes and cancelling of votes.

okeyfx:
See why your politics is archaic , how do you compare a reasonable stranger to a known clown?

I will vote Ambode as a governor in Anambra instead of Chris Uba.

Tooreda:
See argument. There is overvoting and no one is behind bars yet. This shithole is heading nowhere

ElevationD:
Let’s see how far it goes with the courts.

Chinjo2:
What Asue is asking is simple, cancel all piling units results where over voting took place and declare the rightful winner