In Kogi State, local government areas of Dekina and Olamaboro have seen protests by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over what they describe as the “daylight robbery” of their votes during the Saturday election.
Many members of the ruling party bemoaned the blatant thievery and the open exhibition of thuggery perpetuated by hoodlums belonging to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), according to a random sampling of opinions across the polling units within the two local governments.
There were noticeable electoral disparities in the two local government elections, according to information from the iREV data that is currently available on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) website. The information demonstrates a clear instance of result tampering and overvoting in favor of SDP candidate Muritala Ajaka.
The IREV results that have been uploaded show instances of overvoting, when the total number of votes cast exceeds the total number of voters who have been accredited. This raises concerns about the voting process’s integrity. There has also been talk of manipulating result sheets and getting around the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which suggests a concerted effort to rig the election results in the SDP’s advantage.
Due to the seriousness of the voting irregularities, angry APC members have called for the cancellation of the ballots in the local government districts of Dekina and Olamaboro, claiming that the anomalies have weakened the election’s fairness and transparency.
This was supported by the image of a forged result sheet that went viral and revealed differences between the official vote totals and accredited voters.
Insisting that the photo is unmistakably proof of election tampering, an APC member called on the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to move swiftly to investigate these claims and guarantee that the people’s will is upheld, particularly in the two local governments.
“The electoral process’s credibility is at jeopardy,” he declared. To preserve democratic values and rebuild public confidence, decisive action must be done.
Similarly, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of INEC, was urged by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) “to promptly establish a joint, credible, transparent, effective, and broad-based investigation into the allegations.”
SERAP said the police and INEC must ensure efficient prosecution of the riggers and thugs, regardless of their political standing or affiliations, and urged the IGP to “identify, arrest, name and shame the suspected perpetrators and their sponsors of these grave human rights crimes.”
SERAP stated in the letter, which was signed by its deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare:
“INEC needs to take decisive action against the nation’s culture of impunity for electoral violence and bribery if it is to fulfill its constitutional and legal obligations.
Nigeria’s electoral process and participatory democracy are rendered laughable by the persistent incidents of electoral violence and bribery. In order to investigate the claims of serious electoral offenses in the states of Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa, INEC must first accept its own limits and then conduct an open, reputable, inclusive, and comprehensive inquiry.
A genuine democracy requires electoral integrity. The legitimacy of our government and the people’s trust in our public institutions are badly damaged when the integrity of that process is jeopardized.
“Any restrictions on the ability to vote go against the core principles of representative government. Voting rights are vital and the basis of a democratic society. The final say in who is elected to office should go to Nigerians.
Nigerians’ right to vote is severely violated by ongoing incidents of bribery and violence during the nation’s elections, which is essential for every individual to participate in society effectively.
“Until these accusations are investigated in an open, efficient, credible, inclusive, and wide-ranging manner, and until the sponsors and offenders are identified, shamed, and brought to justice,
These electoral offenses will go unpunished. Additionally, people’s trust in the political process will only grow.
