Edo Governorship Election Affected by Over-Voting, Low Turnout – CDD

• The Centre for Democracy and Development raised concerns over widespread over-voting and low voter turnout in the recent Edo governorship election
• CDD highlighted irregularities in the election process, including blurry result uploads and discrepancies between accredited voters and total votes cast

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) has raised concerns over widespread over-voting and low voter turnout during the Edo State governorship election held last Saturday. In its post-election analysis presented in Abuja by Professor Adele Jinadu, Chair of the CDD Election Analysis Centre (EAC), the organization highlighted critical issues affecting the election process.

Professor Faruk Adamu Kuta, the returning officer, announced the results, declaring the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate as the winner with 291,667 votes. His closest competitor, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), garnered 247,274 votes, while Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) secured 22,763 votes.

The CDD-EAC flagged several concerns regarding the election, particularly regarding the use of the INEC Result Viewing Portal (iReV). Prof. Jinadu mentioned blurry uploads in polling units like Ozolua Primary School II, Ovia North-East LGA. Additionally, cases of over-voting were observed in several locations, including Etsako East’s Weppa Registration Area, where the APC was recorded with more votes than the total number of accredited voters.

“For instance, 213 voters were accredited in Weppa, but the APC received 352 votes, while the PDP got 52,” Jinadu noted. Similar irregularities were reported in Okpella IV and other areas where the number of votes exceeded accredited voters.

Despite high PVC collection rates, Jinadu also expressed concern over the significant voter turnout discrepancy. In Edo Central, where 87% of PVCs were collected, voter turnout was only 25%. Similarly, Edo North recorded a 33% turnout despite 94% PVC collection, while Edo South saw a particularly low turnout of 17%, even though 82% of PVCs had been collected.

The CDD suggested that the low turnout could be linked to the heavy presence of security forces and the militarization of the election process. “These regrettable realities of low turnout may not be unconnected to the large deployment of uniformed personnel and the high militarization of the environment,” Jinadu explained.

Moreover, a specific concern was raised regarding Igueben Local Government Area, where the percentage of accredited voters was 64.1%, yet turnout was only 28%. This significant discrepancy has prompted calls for further investigation into what might have prevented voters from casting their ballots.

The CDD’s analysis highlights the logistical and security challenges that marred the election, pointing to the need for reforms to ensure the integrity of future elections.