Brief Situational Statement on the 2024 Edo State Governorship Election
Benin City, Nigeria… On 21st September 2024, the Edo State Civil Society Situation Room (ESSR), having its secretariat at the Justice Development and Peace Centre (JDPC), Benin City deployed 50 domestic observers and 190 citizen observers to the field to observe the off season Edo State Governorship election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) across 11 out of the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state. These involves oversight function on the quality of the electoral processes including the arrival of electoral materials as well as INEC officials to the units, presence of security personnel and party agents, presence of voters and their conduct, the functionality of BVAS machines, efficiency of INEC ad-hoc staff, timely collation of results on the form EC 8A and transmission of results from the poling units to INEC’s IREV portal.
The Edo State Civil Society Situation Room developed 3 online google forms to capture real-time feedback from our observers. The first form captured information on arrival of INEC ad-hoc staff/Setup of Polling Unit and Opening of Polls, form 2 captured information of ongoing voting processes and form 3 captured results of all political parties at various polling units. Feedback from these forms were collated through the backend database, cleaned and analysed using python programming language which automatically transcribed results to a web dashboard with graphical representation of real-time results of each political party in each polling unit as they are being submitted by our field monitors.
Despite the rainy weather and increased tension as a result of the heavy presence of security personnels in some parts of the state, the Edo CSOs Situation Room witnessed high spirit and enthusiasm from Edo citizens in some senatorial districts, who were eager to decide their future and that of the state for the next four years through the ballot box. In some polling units, our observers witnessed early arrival of electoral materials and INEC ad-hoc staff and security personnel, while in other units, late arrival of materials and ad-hoc staff were witnessed up until 11am even as voters were on ground waiting patiently. Some units had logistics challenges and lack of security personnel which caused delays in commencement of accreditation while in others, the process went smoothly with heavy security presence on ground.
The Situation Room raised concerns about reports of INEC officials selling voter’s cards to people to vote at Unit 6, Ward 5, Oredo LGA; vote buying by party agents of APC and PDP at the Ministry of Education, Unit 28, Ward 6, Oredo LGA; clashes between PDP and APC party agents at the same center and cases of extreme violence at Owan East LGA, Ward 10, Polling Units 14-16 without the presence of security personnels to calm the situation. At PU058, Ward 2, Etete Oredo LGA, our observers witnessed a faulty BVAS machine which took until 3pm before it was returned to the pulling unit for commencement of accreditation.
However, the Edo Situation Room witnessed peaceful elections in most polling centres and commend the Nigerian police for the peaceful coordination throughout the election in overall and the INEC for an improved electoral process even as it recommends that the electoral body to do more in deployment of its ad-hoc staff and BVAS machines, making sure they are in good working condition and a supervisor should be on ground to fact check the process.
The Edo State Civil Society Situation Room (ESSR) Findings
ESSR initial findings are based on reports from our field observers spread across 64 polling units in 31 Wards, in 11 LGAs of Edo State.
- Arrival of INEC Officials and Commencement of Polls
In the 64 polling units observed, the ESSR noted a slow start of the accreditation/voting process as a result of late arrival of electoral materials and INEC ad-hoc staff at some polling units due to bad weather conditions, logistical and security challenges. In PU038, Ogbe Ward 1, Oredo LGA (Open space in front of FIRS office, Airport Road, Benin City), INEC officials arrived very late due to logistics challenge and in PU058, Ward 2, Etete, Oredo LGA, observers noted that INEC officials were yet to reach the polling unit due to lack of security escorts. However, there were units where electoral materials and INEC ad-hoc staff arrived early within the specified time according to INEC guidelines and accreditation/voting began on time. Specifically, 44 of the 64 polling units (68.75%) observed had officials arrive on time, between 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
In contrast, 20 polling units (31.25%) experienced delays, with arrival times ranging from 8:33 a.m. to as late as 11:20 a.m. The earliest late arrival was recorded at 8:09 a.m. at Polling Unit 006 (Okpo Primary School, Owan West – Uhonmora), while the latest was at 11:20 a.m. at Polling Unit 038 (Open Space, Igun Street, Oredo-Oredo).
2. Deployment of Materials: 98.4% of ESSR observers reported that election materials such as voters register, voting cubicle, official stamp, Ink pad, and indelible ink, form EC 8A, ballox box, etc arrived their polling units properly, intact and adequate, while 1.6% reported inadequate deployment of electoral materials. At 12:30pm in Ogida market, Ward 3, Egor LGA, our observers reported that there were no electoral materials at the polling unit.
Furthermore, observers noted that 7.9% of the 64 PUs observed did not have enclosed polling boots in PUs such as OREDO-UZEBU, PU 036, Onaiwu 2nd cemetery junction, Oredo LGA; OVIA NORTH EAST – OLUKU PU 030, Iduowina primary School by J.Charles Furniture; PU021, Auchi 11, Etsako West LGA.
3. Deployment of the BVAS: ESSR observed that most polling units had a BVAS machine deployed. However, in a few polling units, there were network challenges owing to the bad weather while in PU058, Ward 2 Etete, Oredo LGA, the BVAs machine mal-functioned and required re-configuration. This led to a significant delay, as accreditation recommenced at 2:48pm upon return of the BVAs machine. In PU073, GRA/Etete Ward 2, Oredo LGA, observers noted challenges with the BVAs device showing incorrect details of voters.
4. Deployment of Party Agents: ESSR observers noted 95.2% presence of APC and PDP party agents in total polling units observed and 73% presence of LP party agents.
5. Deployment of Security Personnel: ESSR observers noted that there was heavy security personnel in 93.7% of the polling units observed. It was observed that 4 PUs (6.3%) of the observed polling units had no security personnel on ground. However, electorate and INEC officials conducted themselves peacefully except for Owan East LGA, Ward 10, Polling Units 14-16 where instances of conflicts between party supporters were observed at 2:18pm and lasted for over an hour without any security personnel on ground to broker peace.
6. Inclusive Voters Environment: Our observers noted significant assistance for PWDs by the INEC officials in most polling units, notably in PU 11, Ugbekun Ward, Ikpoba-Okha LGA; PU 38, Open space Igun street off Second Street behind central mosque, Oredo-Oredo Ward, Oredo LGA. However, our observers noted instances of unfriendly voting environments for PWDs typically in Unit 19, Eyeanugie Primary School, Ward 8, Oredo LGA.
7. Vote Buying: we recorded instances of vote buying by party agents in 26 polling units observed. In Arue Primary School, Unit 4, Ward 3, Uromi, Esan NorthEast LGA, party agents of APC and PDP were seen taking names of voters in polling units to pay N10,000 or N5,000 alternatively to vote for their party.
Our observers noted that EFCC officers arrested two ladies allegedly for vote buying in PU12, Ward 2, Oredo LGA at about 11.11am. Investigation revealed that a huge sum of money was discovered in their bag allegedly meant for vote buying at the polling unit.
8. Upload of Results on the IREV portal. We observed that there was real time upload of results from the various polling units across the states to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s IREV portal. As at time of this report, (21:55pm), 95.31% of the results have been uploaded on the portal. This lends a measure of credence of transparency of the electoral process, even though physical collation of results was still in progress. This would go a long way in minimizing falsification of results generated at the polling units.
Preliminary Recommendations
ESSR makes the following preliminary recommendations:
1. Enhancing Electoral Logistics: INEC should implement robust logistics planning, ensuring timely arrival of electoral materials and ad-hoc staff at polling units. This includes establishing a contingency plan for adverse weather conditions and increasing the number of vehicles and personnel assigned to transport materials.
2. Strengthening Security Measures: Increase the deployment of security personnel at polling units, particularly in areas identified as conflict-prone, to deter violence and ensure a peaceful electoral process. Regular coordination meetings with local law enforcement agencies should be held to streamline security protocols.
3. Addressing Vote Buying: Intensify surveillance and monitoring by law enforcement agencies, including the EFCC, to combat vote buying. Conduct community awareness campaigns to educate voters about the legal implications of engaging in vote trading and encourage reporting of such incidents.
4. Improving BVAS Functionality: INEC should ensure that all BVAS machines are thoroughly tested and maintained before deployment. A technical support team should be on standby in each LGA to address any operational issues in real time.
5. Creating Inclusive Voting Environments: Enhance accessibility features at polling units for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) by providing ramps and designated assistance personnel. Conduct training for INEC staff to foster a more inclusive and accommodating atmosphere.
6. Capacity Building for Election Observers: Provide comprehensive training for domestic and citizen observers on reporting mechanisms and how to handle electoral irregularities effectively. This can improve the quality of observation and reporting during elections.
7. Promoting Community Engagement and Voter Education: Launch voter education initiatives aimed at informing the public about the electoral process, rights, and responsibilities. This should involve local media, community leaders, and educational institutions to maximize outreach.
8. Timely Reporting and Transparency: The upload of results from poling units to the IREV portal provided a transparent mechanism for the timely reporting of election results to the public, reducing misinformation and increasing public confidence in the electoral process. We recommend the upscale of result transmission in subsequent elections as it will not only boost public confidence in the process but will likely reduce incidences of post-election litigations that has dogged Nigerian elections in recent history.
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