APC cautions Yiaga Africa over Edo gubernatorial election results

The APC has cautioned Yiaga Africa against questioning the recently concluded Edo gubernatorial election results, affirming that only INEC has the authority to declare such outcomes.

 

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he APC has warned Yiaga Africa against questioning the Edo State gubernatorial election results, asserting that only INEC has the authority to declare election outcomes.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has issued a strong warning to the civil society organization Yiaga Africa, cautioning against undermining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by questioning the results of the recent Edo State gubernatorial election.

 

Also read: Yiaga Africa raises concerns over manipulation in 2024 Edo governorship election

 

This statement was made by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, on Tuesday.

In his remarks, Morka accused Yiaga Africa of overstepping its bounds as an election observer by attempting to second-guess INEC’s authority.

He stated, “INEC is the sole statutory authority for the conduct and declaration of election results. Yiaga Africa is not and must desist from constituting itself as a parallel agency for the declaration of election results.”

The APC also took issue with Yiaga Africa’s allegations regarding the manipulation of election results, claiming that such assertions were baseless and lacked empirical evidence, relying instead on speculative data.

Morka emphasized, “Alleging that results were manipulated without hard facts and figures… is a clear disservice to the electoral process.

Yiaga Africa’s report is a travesty, replete with methodological flaws, politicized observations, inconsistencies, and inaccuracies.”

Morka called for election observers to respect INEC’s statutory role and warned against creating confusion by portraying a “parallel election process” through questionable statistical parameters.

He stated, “Election observer missions are not election management agencies and cannot usurp INEC’s statutory authority as the sole election management body in Nigeria.”

Additionally, the APC expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for ensuring a fair electoral process and commended INEC and law enforcement agencies for their professionalism during the election.

Morka reiterated the party’s belief that the election results reflected the will of the Edo people, who voted for Senator Monday Okpebholo as their next governor.

The APC reminded any aggrieved parties that any disputes regarding the election results should be addressed through legal channels, adhering to the established electoral process.

In contrast, Yiaga Africa had criticized the election, alleging that the process and declared results lacked integrity and cited widespread irregularities, including manipulation of results by collation officers.