Africaan electoral transparency organization, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to explain how the results were obtained from electoral units where the governorship election in Imo State was not held on Saturday.
The group said its poll watch team, Watching The Vote (WTV), found that the gubernatorial election did not take place on Saturday in 12 percent of its sample voting units in the state.
He said in his statement signed by the Chairman of his WTV Task Force, Hussaini Abdu, on Sunday, that despite not voting, the results of some of the affected electoral units had been uploaded to INEC’s IReV.
IReV is INEC’s publicly accessible online platform where the public can view photographic copies of the result sheets of all polling units where voting takes place.
Yiaga Africa said it observed non-voting prevailing in many polling units in Orsu, Okigwe, Oru East and Orlu Local Government Areas of Imo State.
“To ensure transparency and protect the integrity of the process, Yiaga Africa calls on INEC to clarify the status of voting in the electoral units of Orsu, Okigwe, Oru East and Orlu LGAs in Imo State.
“In addition, INEC should investigate the report of probable electoral malpractices in these polling units, especially in places where the results have been uploaded to the IReV without conducting accreditation and voting,” the statement said.
INEC had on Sunday declared Governor Hope Uzodinma the winner of Saturday’s election in Imo State, amid protests by opposition candidates over alleged widespread irregularities in the declared results.
Where voting did not take place, but results were still uploaded
Yiaga Africa said on Sunday that its observers found results uploaded to IReV from nine polling units sampled where elections were not held in Orsu.
He said in Okigwe LGA that their observers also reported that no elections were held in eight sampled electoral units.
Similarly, in Oru East LGA, the group said the election did not take place in eight of the sampled electoral units.
“Further, no elections were held in seven (7) of our sampled electoral units in Orlu LGA and in one (1) of our sampled electoral units each in Ideato North, Ikeduru,” the statement added.
The group noted that there were speculations that INEC may have moved all polling units to the LGA headquarters on election day in Orsu LGA without prior notifying voters about “the change in the location of the polling units”.
“Yiaga Africa is deeply concerned about the burden of EC8A results for some of the sampled electoral units where no elections were held in Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Ideato North, Ikeduru and Okigwe LGAs in the IReV,” says the group statement. .
READ YIAGA AFRICA’S FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
Press Release on Governorship Elections in Imo and Kogi States on Sunday, November 12, 2023
Yiaga Africa calls on INEC to clarify the status of places where elections were not held, including the uploading of results from electoral units where elections were not held.
According to reports from Yiaga Africa observers in the polling units where the elections were held, the voting process has been concluded and the compilation of results is underway in Bayelsa.
Imo and Kogi States. However, reports from some Yiaga Africa Watching The Vote (WTV) observers in Imo State indicate that no elections were held in 12% of sampled Yiaga Africa polling units.
These cases were common in Orsu, Okigwe, Oru East and Orlu LGAs. Yiaga Africa also supervised the uploading of results into the IReV, especially those from electoral units where no elections were held.
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For Orsu LGA in Imo State, WTV observers from Yiaga Africa reported that the election did not take place in nine (9) polling units sampled in the LGA. There was speculation that INEC may have moved all polling units to the LGA headquarters on election day. Yiaga Africa notes that Orsu LGA voters were not informed of the change in the location of the polling units and INEC did not issue an official statement on the alleged temporary relocation of the polling units. In Okigwe LGA in Imo State, Yiaga Africa observers also reported that no elections were held in eight (8) sampled electoral units. In Oru East LGA, the election did not take place in eight (8) of the sampled electoral units of Yiaga Africa. Furthermore, no elections were held in seven (7) of our sampled electoral units in Orlu LGA and in one (1) of our sampled electoral units in Ideato North, Ikeduru, Oru West and Owerri West LGAs.
Yiaga Africa is deeply concerned about the uploading of EC8A form results for some of the sampled electoral units where elections were not held in Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Ideato North, Ikeduru and Okigwe LGAs in the IReV.
To ensure transparency and protect the integrity of the process, Yiaga Africa calls on INEC to clarify the status of voting in the electoral units of Orsu, Okigwe, Oru East and Orlu LGAs in Imo State. Furthermore, INEC should investigate reports of probable electoral malpractices in these polling units, especially in places where results have been uploaded to the IReV without conducting accreditation and voting.
Yiaga Africa, through its Watching The Vote initiative, is committed to promoting more credible elections by providing independent information on the conduct of elections and independently determining whether announced results reflect the votes cast. #WatchingTheVote is for all Nigerians, beholden to no one and driven by data. Since the beginning of the Watching the Vote initiative, Yiaga Africa has consistently informed Nigerians that if the election results are accurate, we will confirm them. When tampering occurs, we will expose it. We reaffirm our commitment to fulfill this responsibility in the interest of our electoral democracy.
Signed.
Dr. Hussaini Abdu
Chairman, Yiaga Africa WTV Working Group
