All Eyes on INEC and Police Ahead of the Edo Gubernatorial Election
There have been concerns about the credibility of the 2024 Edo State governorship election due to past election issues like violence, technical failures, and controversies. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the police, and other security agencies are being watched closely to ensure a peaceful and fair election today.
The ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused the opposition, All Progressives Congress (APC), of using federal power and the police to manipulate the election. They claim their members are being unfairly arrested and have called on the police to stop this harassment. They also want certain officials, like the Commissioner of Police and the Resident Electoral Commissioner, removed because of their alleged ties to a former governor, Nyesom Wike, who they say worked against the PDP in the 2023 elections.
The APC, in turn, demands the arrest of those responsible for the death of a police officer linked to their candidate. The party alleges that the people responsible are still roaming free, posing more threats.
Yiaga Africa, a prominent election monitoring group, has voiced concerns about possible violence in eight Local Government Areas (LGAs), citing economic hardships, security issues, and public distrust in the election process. They’ve also highlighted ongoing voter bribery by several political parties and warned that cult groups and thugs could disrupt the election to influence the outcome.
INEC, which has faced criticism in previous elections, is again under pressure to ensure the election runs smoothly. Past elections have seen issues like collusion with politicians, denial of access to observers, logistical failures, and security forces disrupting the voting process. For instance, in the 2019 elections, observers reported that security personnel chased people away with guns in Lagos while votes were being collated. Similar problems occurred in Rivers State, where security agents disrupted the process and even snatched official election results.
Despite promises from INEC and security agencies, there is skepticism about whether they can deliver a free and fair election today. Some key issues that could cause problems include the late arrival of election officials, insufficient voting materials, malfunctioning equipment, fake ballot papers, political thugs disrupting polling units, and security agents allowing vote-buying or violence to go unchecked.
In previous elections, technical issues like the failure to upload real-time results on INEC’s portal also caused distrust. INEC must ensure transparency and avoid such mishaps to regain public confidence. There are 17 factors that could threaten the election today, ranging from logistical failures to deliberate sabotage, and the INEC and security agencies need to address these concerns to ensure a credible outcome.
