The U.S. government is closely monitoring the proceedings of the Edo State governorship tribunal.
Independent observers and civil society organisations have reported that the election was plagued by significant arithmetic errors, approximately 29,053 unaccounted ballots, and various other inconsistencies.
On Friday, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria stated that the collation process, which resulted in the All Progressives Congress’s Monday Okpebholo being declared the winner, was flawed by “serious lapses.” The mission, a supporter of fair and credible elections, emphasised its commitment to monitoring the situation.
On Wednesday, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, chairman of a three-man panel at the Edo State Elections Petitions Tribunal, upheld Mr Okpebholo’s election victory and dismissed the allegations from his main opponent, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, ruling that Ighodalo had failed to satisfactorily prove claims of over-voting and irregularities.
However, the U.S. Mission implicitly rejected the tribunal’s verdict in a post on X, referencing a report from the civil society organisation Kimpact Development Initiative. This report highlighted numerous inconsistencies in the Edo State elections, particularly the discrepancy between the total number of accredited voters and the total votes cast.
“One of the most striking findings of this study was the persistent mismatch in the registered voter numbers across multiple polling units. In Edo State alone, inconsistencies were found in 141 polling units,” stated a report by the Ballot Integrity Project, referenced by the U.S. Mission.
Additional concerns raised in the report included 29,053 unaccounted ballots and over-voting in at least 382 polling units.
“Edo recorded an alarming count, with 29,053 ballots unaccounted for at the polling unit level. Even after the collation process concluded, Edo still had 20,167 unaccounted ballots,” the BIP report asserted.
The report also noted, “Edo State experienced over-voting in 382 polling units, resulting in a total of 8,887 excess votes.”
Mr Ighodalo of the PDP has vowed to appeal the tribunal’s ruling to challenge his claims that the elections were rigged in favour of Mr Okpebholo, who has since been sworn in as governor.
The U.S. government has stated it is intently focused on the developing situation, with U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills advocating for transparency in electoral matters to restore public confidence in the judiciary and other key government institutions.
In a statement on Friday, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria said, “The U.S. Mission is closely following the Edo election appeal process, particularly given civil society’s concerns about critical issues related to the election, such as ‘serious lapses in the collation process.’ Ambassador Mills reiterated his statement from September 24, emphasising that transparency and due process are essential for maintaining public confidence in any democratic system. The United States reaffirms its commitment to supporting free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in Nigeria and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The U.S. government has also imposed visa restrictions on justices and politicians perceived to have undermined Nigeria’s democracy.
It is believed that Chief Justice of Nigeria Kudirat Kekere-Ekun was denied a visa to the U.S. due to her involvement in a controversial 2020 ruling that removed Emeka Ihedioha from office and declared APC’s Hope Uzodimma the winner of the Imo State governorship election.
