Edo election: Absence of electoral officials days after exercise raises concerns

A few days after the recently concluded Edo State governorship election, there is still widespread discontent among Edo indigenes and residents who believe their mandate has been stolen.

Many are accusing political players of orchestrating an electoral heist that has left the state’s electorate disenfranchised.

To make matters worse, key electoral officials who presided over the election have vanished from public view, further fueling suspicions of corruption and manipulation.

Many of them are also missing from work, especially those involved in the manipulation of the exercise.

According to reports, key figures from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including its national chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, other commissioners, and the Edo Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Anugbum Onuoha, have been conspicuously absent from their offices in the days following the election.

The absences have prompted speculation that these officials are deliberately evading scrutiny and accountability.

Insiders allege that this absence is not coincidental but part of a coordinated plan.

According to sources close to the situation, the individuals in question may be concealing their tracks and securing illicit funds, should investigations be launched into the conduct of the election.

“It is a collective agreement to stay away for now and safeguard the resources in case Nigerians or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) turn against them,” a whistleblower revealed.

The results of the Edo governorship election have been met with skepticism by opposition parties and civil society groups.

Many believe the outcome did not reflect the will of the people and claim that irregularities such as vote-buying, intimidation, and compromised INEC officials undermined the integrity of the process.

“This was not an election; it was a daylight robbery. The people’s choice has been brazenly discarded, and now we are seeing the orchestrators running to protect their loot rather than facing the people they’ve betrayed,” an activist, Osas Aburime said.

Public outrage over the alleged stolen mandate is mounting, with Edo residents calling for accountability from both INEC and the APC.

Protesters have taken to the streets, demanding that the true results be revealed and that those responsible for any electoral malpractice be held accountable.

“We will not allow them to get away with this. The people of Edo have spoken, and their voices must be heard,” a protest leader stated during a recent demonstration in Benin City.

The call for transparency is also echoed by civil society organizations, many of whom are demanding an independent investigation into the election.

“If INEC cannot explain why its officials, including the chairman, have disappeared from their offices, then we have every reason to believe something is wrong. The Nigerian people deserve an explanation,” an election observer, Tamuno Ebebi said.

Observers warn that the implications of this situation could extend beyond Edo State, threatening to undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system.

While the outcome of the Edo election remains contested, the pressure on INEC to come forward with explanations is growing by the day.