The fallout from the September 21 Edo State governorship election has escalated dramatically, with former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to rig the election in favor of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a scathing interview on Politics Today on Channels Television, Chidoka described the election as “a sham” and presented data he claims shows widespread manipulation at the highest levels of INEC. According to Chidoka, discrepancies in the election results reveal deliberate tampering, including the inflation of accredited voters by over 100,000 across 798 polling units.
“Presiding officers recorded 580,000 accredited voters, but INEC’s backend produced 687,000. This wasn’t an error—it was intentional manipulation,” Chidoka stated. He also alleged that during the collation process, 11,665 votes for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were subtracted, while 32,284 votes were illegally added to the APC’s total.
Chidoka further highlighted what he called “inconsistencies” between INEC’s certified results and the data uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV), accusing the commission of printing fake result sheets to reflect the desired outcome. “This isn’t incompetence; it’s a clear case of fraud,” he asserted.
Despite these claims, Chidoka stated that PDP candidate Barr. Asue Ighodalo should have been declared the rightful winner, once invalid votes and alleged manipulations were accounted for. However, he made it clear that he would not formally recognize the election results, condemning the process as a “travesty” and warning that, if upheld, it would undermine the legitimacy of future elections.
In a dramatic turn, Chidoka announced his resignation from the PDP, declaring his intention to focus on advocating for electoral reform, unburdened by party politics. “Nothing else matters to me right now but the defense of our democracy,” he emphasized.
Chidoka’s explosive revelations have triggered widespread outrage and renewed calls for judicial intervention. “The courts must act. INEC has betrayed the public trust, and our democracy is on life support,” he warned. The critical question now is whether Nigeria’s judiciary will intervene to restore the integrity of the electoral process or allow what he describes as a “stolen election” to stand.