The Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) released a report on Monday alleging that the results of the September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election were manipulated to favor the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo.
In the report published on its website, FIJ claimed the election was marred by several irregularities, including voter suppression, violence, and result falsification. The investigative report implicated both the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The report highlighted issues in Etsako West Local Government Area, where the APC was declared to have secured 32,107 votes, compared to 17,483 votes for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). FIJ alleged that the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the collation results from the area was marked as a “Replacement Copy” and lacked the official INEC stamp seen on CTCs from other LGAs.
Furthermore, the report claimed that the collation process at the Auchi Council Hall was disrupted by gunfire on the morning of September 22, causing the loss of important electoral documents.
FIJ also accused APC figures of orchestrating voter suppression in opposition strongholds and pressuring INEC officials to manipulate results during the collation process. Additionally, it was alleged that many polling units failed to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for electronic result transmission, leading to manual collation in some areas and increasing the chances for manipulation.
PDP governorship candidate Asue Ighodalo previously described the election as "the worst election in the history of this country." While the APC and INEC have denied the allegations, Ighodalo accused both INEC and the police of actively collaborating with the ruling party to rig the election. The PDP has since filed a legal petition challenging the results, citing violations of the electoral act and widespread irregularities.
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