Ahead of the upcoming Edo State governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024, insiders have exposed a plan by senior officials within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to manipulate the exercise.
According to reliable sources, the officials have recruited fake collation officers to rig the election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The scheme is said to be the same tactics used in the controversial 2023 Imo State governorship election.
Insiders familiar with the plot have pointed out that the same format used to manipulate the 2023 Imo State election is now being employed in Edo.
In Imo, the APC was accused of installing biased collation officers, tampering with results at the local government level, and altering vote tallies before they were transmitted to the INEC collation centre in Owerri, the state capital.
The method was instrumental in securing a victory for the APC, even though many voters believed the results did not reflect the true will of the people.
A source within INEC, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, revealed that the recruitment of fake collation officers was being orchestrated by senior INEC officials with close ties to influential APC members.
“It’s the same script they used in Imo. They’ve recruited individuals posing as collation officers, most of whom are APC loyalists.
“Their job will be to manipulate vote totals during collation, ensuring the APC candidate gets an inflated count,” the source said.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm about such shady dealings, urging INEC to safeguard its integrity.
Speaking at a recent press conference, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, warned about attempts by the APC to rig the election.
“We have credible intelligence that APC is resorting to undemocratic methods to tilt the results in their favour. INEC must remain neutral and refrain from becoming a tool in the hands of the ruling party,” he said.
As election day approaches, there have been increasing warnings to INEC and the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that the election is conducted fairly and without interference. Citizens and political analysts alike are urging both institutions to act impartially.
Social media has also been abuzz with growing concerns about election integrity in Edo State, with hashtags like #EdoElectionIntegrity trending on X (formerly Twitter).
Many are calling on INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu to personally oversee the situation and ensure the right individuals are in place to deliver a transparent election.