The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it will investigate allegations of incorrect figures entered into polling unit result sheets during the ongoing Edo governorship election. In a brief statement on X (formerly Twitter), INEC acknowledged receiving its second complaint out of the 4,519 polling units used in the election and promised immediate action.
This follows a call by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the arrest and prosecution of Obozuwa Josephine, a Presiding Officer accused of manipulating election results in favor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Osholo Primary School Polling Unit in Etsako East Local Government Area.
According to PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the official voter accreditation at the polling unit was 213, but the result sheet reportedly showed an allocation of 352 votes to the APC, 52 votes to the PDP, and one vote to the Labour Party (LP), totaling 406 votes—well above the accredited number.
Ologunagba criticized Josephine’s actions as a blatant compromise, likening it to the conduct of the former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner during the 2023 governorship election, which almost led to violent protests.
The PDP has demanded Josephine’s arrest and prosecution, calling for the cancellation of the election in Osholo Primary School Polling Unit, while urging INEC to address other similar infractions. The party also commended the vigilance of the people of Edo State and encouraged them to remain resilient.
INEC, for its part, emphasized that any proven infractions will be addressed swiftly