“If Nigeria will change, it will possibly not come from the office of the President, it will start with the Office of the Citizen.”

Femi Longe
(Co-Founder, CcHub)

Dear Active Citizen,

The dust has settled on the recent Edo State gubernatorial elections, but the conversations are far from over. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dropped their official results, but observers on ground at Yiaga Africa and the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room are raising their eyebrows (and a few red flags) 🚩

Numbers Don't Add Up 

Yiaga Africa's statistical analysis has unveiled discrepancies between their findings and INEC's officially announced results. Particular areas of concern include Oredo, Egor, and Esan West LGAs. There are also troubling reports of result manipulation and violations of collation guidelines by some polling officials and collation officers. These allegations strike at the heart of electoral integrity.

Turnout Troubles

The Situation Room noted a generally low voter turnout, with some areas reporting suspiciously high numbers that don't align with on-ground observations.

In light of these findings, here are the key recommendations:

1. INEC must thoroughly investigate and bring to justice any officials involved in results manipulation.

2. Urgent clarification is needed for the discrepancies found in several LGAs.

3. INEC should establish clear guidelines for reviewing questionable declarations and returns, including a structured complaints procedure.

What's Next for Nigeria's Electoral Process?

We're taking this discussion to X (formerly Twitter) Spaces! This Open Mic session provides a forum for all concerned citizens in Edo to share factual, first-hand observations from the Edo elections.

Join us today at 5pm.

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Enjoy the rest of the week.
The EiE Nigeria Team.