The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday chided Yiaga Africa, an accredited election monitoring observer group, for its “subjective” report on the Edo State governorship election.
The ruling party berated the group for “second-guessing” the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the election results.
APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka said in a statement that Yiaga Africa attempted to usurp the statutory function of INEC as the agency responsible for the conduct of election and declaration of result.
Yesterday, the United States commended the peaceful conduct of poll, urging Nigerians to sustain the tempo of electoral sanitisation.
Also, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said the poll was orderly despite the logistic challenges and isolated cases of vote buying.
The NBA observer group, in its report, lauded the security agencies for their professional conduct during the election.
The Oba of Benin, Ewuare III, ordered a three day fasting in his kingdom to thank God for a peaceful election and to sustain the prevailing harmony.
Basking in the euphoria of victory for his party, Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged the governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, to be magnanimous in victory.
Edo PDP Campaign Council Deputy Director-General Emmanuel Odigie wept over the defeat of the party at the poll.
Yesterday, the police arrested six persons and recovered four weapons and 58 voter’s cards from the suspects.
Yiaga Africa is wrong, says APC
Morka accused Yiaga Africa of overreaching its election observer mission and constituting itself into a “parallel agency” for declaring election results.
Yiaga Africa had reported “widespread manipulation of results” and discrepancies between its estimates and INEC’s official figures.
Faulting the group, Morka said: “Alleging that results were manipulated without hard facts and figures, but based on some statistical guess work is a clear disservice to the electoral process.
“Yiaga Africa’s report is a travesty, replete with methodological flaws, politicized observations, inconsistencies, inaccuracies, and called its credibility into question.”
He added: “Election observer missions are not election management agencies and cannot usurp INEC’s statutory authority as the sole election management body in Nigeria. Doing so would constitute a clear breach of the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“While election observer missions, like Yiaga Africa, are at liberty to share their observations about the election process with INEC and the general public, however, declaring election result or second guessing result declared by INEC in performance of its statutory duties, falls beyond their observation mandate.
“Declaring or second-guessing the Edo state gubernatorial result based on unsubstantiated, unverified, highly questionable statistical parameters created by Yiaga Africa for Yiaga Africa is designed to create unnecessary confusion and the appearance of a parallel election process.”
The party urged the observer group “to refrain from enlisting itself in the season’s annals of infamy, alongside the likes of Governor Godwin Obaseki and his illegal and sinister midnight invasion of INEC’s offices, and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s illegal declaration of bogus election result.
“The election’s outcome is an unequivocal rejection of the Obaseki administration’s bad governance and endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visionary policies, which are transforming Nigeria’s economic landscape, strengthening security, and promoting good governance.”
Morka thanked President Tinubu for ensuring a level playing field, INEC for its professionalism, and law enforcement agencies for their diligence.
He said: “By their votes, the good people of Edo State were loud and clear in their choice of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the next Governor to lead the state into a new era of peace, unity, people-centered development and prosperity for all.
“Any disputes, contestations or questions about the election may now be submitted to the courts for adjudication in line with electoral and constitutional norms and recourse mechanisms.”
United States Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills Jr. reaffirmed US’s commitment to free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in Nigeria.
His statement reads: “The U.S. Mission in Nigeria commends the people and reiterates calls for calm, following the announcement of results.
“We commend Governor Obaseki’s appeal for peace and urge all stakeholders, including INEC, to support established electoral processes and respect legal procedures to challenge results.
“Transparency and due process are crucial to maintaining public confidence in any democratic system.
“The United States reaffirms our commitment to supporting free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in Nigeria and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Poll was orderly, says NBA
NBA Observer Group Leader Mrs. Bolatumi Animashaun, and Secretary, Mr. Mobolaji Ojibara, said the conduct of the poll was orderly.
However, they pointed out in their report that there were logistic problems, lack of prompt deployment of polling personnel, poor preparations by INEC in some areas and some technical challenges.
The team lauded the security agencies for offering security on poll day.
The team said “voters in most polling units conducted themselves in an orderly and respectful manner.”
It added: “The low voter turnout, influence of money, and delays in the distribution of election materials were notable concerns. However, the conduct of voters, election officials, and security personnel was commendable, contributing to a largely peaceful election process.
“There is a need for intensified voter education campaigns aimed at restoring public trust in the electoral process and encouraging greater voter participation, especially among women and youth.
“Stronger measures must be implemented to prevent political parties from using money to influence voters. This includes stricter monitoring at polling units and more transparent processes to safeguard the integrity of the electoral system.”
Odigie laments defeat
Odigie, who broke down in tears, lamented the defeat of the PDP by APC.
Odigi, who spoke on television, recounted a heart-wrenching encounter with four women at the airport before the election.
According to him, the women, two from Houston and two from Atlanta, had traveled to Nigeria to vote for the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, for the first time, adding that they mobilised their family and friends to do the same.
He said: “What happened to the will of the people? What happens to voting, competence, and the betterment of society?”
Police Arrest six, recover four Weapons, 58 Voters cards
The Police said six persons were arrested for various electoral offences during the poll.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police in-charge of the election, Frank Mba, told reporters in Benin.
He said: “We have made a total of six arrests, and we expect this number to increase as we expand our investigations.”
