In a searing accusation, Martins Obono, Executive Director of the TAP Initiative, declared on Friday that Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not only complicit but actively involved in rigging the 2024 Edo State governorship election. Appearing on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, Obono presented what he termed “damning, incontrovertible evidence” of INEC’s role in an alleged conspiracy that could shake Nigeria’s electoral foundation.
With stacks of documents in hand, Obono detailed glaring discrepancies between certified true copies (CTCs) of polling unit results issued by INEC and the identical documents uploaded to INEC’s own iREV result portal. “When we compared the CTCs from INEC with iREV’s records, we uncovered something staggering,” he said. “It appears INEC produced a shadow set of result sheets to substitute the real ones. They bear identical serial numbers, yet the iREV results are signed by party agents while the CTCs are mysteriously unsigned.”
Obono then revealed that TAP Initiative had enlisted a world-renowned forensic handwriting expert, whose expertise is sought by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, to scrutinize the CTCs. The analysis was unequivocal. “The expert confirmed that several CTCs were filled out by a single individual,” Obono stated. “One person sat down and forged these results. We were stunned. Democracies are built on trust in our institutions. If INEC can betray that trust, what does it mean for our future?”
“Institutionalized Rigging” and the Democracy Crisis
Obono contended that this alleged manipulation wasn’t just election fraud—it was institutionalized rigging, a level of deception never seen before in Nigeria. “For years, we suspected rogue actors in political parties,” he said. “But this time, it’s the very institution entrusted to protect our democracy—INEC—that is subverting it. Citizens need to believe in the system, or democracy fails. This isn’t about one election; it’s about the soul of our democracy.”
Obono’s revelations come amid broader allegations of electoral irregularities across Nigeria. A recent report by Athena, a respected research organization, highlighted “electoral anomalies” in the recent governorship elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa states, citing discrepancies in polling data and result tabulations. The implications, TAP Initiative argues, are far-reaching: unchecked, this pattern could set the tone for the 2027 presidential elections.
The Road Ahead: Demanding Accountability
Calling on the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to pursue a comprehensive investigation, Obono insisted no one be exempt, from INEC’s chairman to state-level officials like the Resident Electoral Officer and Head of Legal in Edo. “This cannot stand. If INEC’s actions go unpunished, it will form the playbook for all future elections,” he warned. “We fought too hard for this democracy to allow it to be dismantled by those who should protect it.”
A “Historic Fraud”: Over-Voting and Forgery
Obono also accused INEC of widespread over-voting, result manipulation, and systematic forgery of CTC result sheets. “We’ve been monitoring elections since 2003. This is the first time we’ve seen the electoral umpire itself as the main perpetrator,” he said. According to Obono, the 2022 Electoral Act has strengthened oversight over political actors but has failed to apply the same accountability standards to INEC itself. “Those involved in this scandal must face the law,” he declared.
The TAP Initiative has promised to leave no stone unturned in its pursuit of justice, affirming that “Nigeria’s democracy depends on the integrity of its institutions, and if INEC has abandoned that, it’s our duty to hold them accountable.”