Yiaga Africa has verified the 2020 Edo State governorship election results released by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The civil society organisation (CSO) verified the INEC official results after the declaration of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Godwin Obaseki, as winner of the poll by the commission.

INEC Returning Officer for the election, Professor Akpofure Rim-Ruke, who announced the results, said Obaseki polled 307,955 votes to beat his closest rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 223,619 votes.

Yiaga Africa urged all the political parties, their candidates and all those who participated in the 19 September election to have confidence in the result.

A statement issued by the group explained that the result declared by INEC was consistent with its Parallel Vote Tabulation Estimate.

‘Based on reports from 96 percent (241 of 250) of sampled polling units, Yiaga Africa’s statistical analysis shows that the APC should receive between 39.1 percent and 46.3 percent of the vote; the PDP should receive between 52.5 percent and 59.7 percent of the vote; while no other party will receive more than 1 percent of the vote share’, the Yiaga statement read.

‘The INEC official result for the 2020 Edo State gubernatorial election is consistent with the Yiaga Africa WTV estimate.

‘Had the official results been changed at the ward, LGA or state collation centres, the official results would not have fallen within the Yiaga Africa WTV estimated ranges.

‘Because the official results fall within the estimated ranges, governorship contestants, parties, and voters should have confidence that INEC’s official results for the 2020 Edo gubernatorial election reflect the ballots cast at polling units’.

But Yiaga Africa said that it observed intimidation and harassment of observers, voters and polling officials by party thugs in some polling units.

Source: Yiaga Africa

Photo source: Yiaga Africa