The African Action Congress (AAC) has noted that the 2024 Edo State governorship election has failed to meet democratic standards.
The party in a statement by its spokesperson, Femi Adeyeye, lamented that though the election witnessed voter apathy at a disappointing scale, more numbers appear on the Independent National Electoral Commission Results Viewing (IReV) portal.
“This election we participated in as party, witnessed worse voter apathy (observers have put it at 22.45 percent voter turnout) but big numbers are now seen on iRev portal Example –
https://iresults.incportals.com/cached/express/results/2798/12/232/2679/34895/f8518dab-5008-41b1-8d1f-82eaabe9a1dd_thumb.jpg.”
The party also observed that more persons voted than accredited number for the election based on IReV uploads.
It said, “On this polling unit result uploaded on INEC’s portal (meaning it’s official), 213 persons were “accredited” but 352 “voted” APC. What a magic!
“INEC’s failure to offer a fair ground for all parties is condemned. In a particular video that surfaced online. the Governor of the state was whisked out of the collation centre by Police officers but an APC supporter known as Tony Kabaka, a militant with his men, was at same collation centre.
“We also condemn political parties that engaged in patronage politics, exploiting failures in public institutions for political gain and eroding public trust in the democratic process. This practice not only compromises the integrity of elections but also deepens corruption and weakens governance in Nigeria.”
The party called for protests to reject the election process, noting that actions that encourage transparency in the electoral process should start now.
“AAC calls for immediate actions, including protests to reject the process. Actions that restore transparency and fairness to the electoral system must start now,” the party said.
A number of contentious issues has surrounded the ongoing electoral process, as INEC persists in declaring results that decidedly favour the APC. Meanwhile, members of the Peoples Democratic Party have dismissed the announced outcomes, sparking further dispute and tension.
Many PDP supporters have taken to the streets to protest against the results declared by INEC so far.