A recent report by the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has raised serious concerns about the credibility of the 2024 governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states. The report titled “Ballot Integrity Report for the 2024 Edo and Ondo State Governorship Elections” highlights discrepancies between the vote counts published on INEC’s Election Result Viewing (IReV) portal and the official results declared at the state collation centres.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

According to the report, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was shown to have gained 40,871 additional votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost 10,680 votes when comparing the IReV data to INEC’s official results. These irregularities were observed across several Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Edo State, including Akoko Edo LGA, where APC reportedly gained 9,912 votes, and Oredo LGA, where an increase of 13,393 votes was noted. In contrast, the PDP saw a reduction of 4,898 votes in Ikpoba/Okha and 4,223 votes in Oredo.

Although these discrepancies did not change the election’s final outcome, they significantly impacted the margin of victory. For instance, the difference between the APC’s Monday Okpebholo and PDP’s Asue Ighodalo was reported as 44,393 votes by INEC, but the IReV data suggested a much smaller margin of 8,064 votes.

The KDI report also flagged concerns about missing ballots, citing 28,083 unaccounted ballots in Edo and 12,931 in Ondo. Additionally, it noted discrepancies in voter registration figures at some polling units, particularly in Akoko-Edo and Egor LGAs in Edo and Akure South and Akure North LGAs in Ondo.

KDI’s Executive Director, Bukola Idowu, has called for INEC to urgently address these inconsistencies to maintain public trust ahead of upcoming elections. Despite improvements in the IReV system, Idowu emphasized the importance of transparency and accuracy in electoral data.

Political analyst Professor Adele Jinadu remarked that while some discrepancies are common in large electoral processes, the critical question is whether these inconsistencies are accidental or deliberate. He stressed that INEC must conduct a thorough review to maintain the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system.