Edo governorship election was ‘one of the worst in Nigeria’s history— Activist Jake Epelle

Founder of The Albino Foundation (TAF) Africa Jake Epelle, has described the recent election in Edo state as one of the worst governorship elections in the nation’s history.

“It’s unfortunate that I will personally describe this election as one of the worst taking into cognisance the level of preparation and assurance.

“I thought that INEC in general would take this election and perform credibly well so that they could begin to redeem the confidence and trust deficit they suffered in the previous election,” reports Channels TV.

APC’s Monday Okepboholo was declared the winner on Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with 291,667 votes after defeating PDP’s Asue Ighodalo who polled 247,274 votes and Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata who earned 22,763 votes.

During an interview on Monday on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Epelle called for immediate reforms to the electoral process to prevent future logistical setbacks.

“I don’t know why we keep having these logistical problems over the years. INEC should look the other way especially when it comes to the road transport union they have been seen and known to be ineffective and not showing when to show up even when money has been given to them,” he said.

Saturday’s election was marred by protests from the supporters of the PDP who strongly posited that the results were fabricated and did not represent the will of the people.

The PDP governors led to Edo by Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, faulted some of the results announced, saying they don’t tally with those on IReV.

Referencing a joint statement from YIAGA Africa and the Women’s Trust Fund, which outlined the issues surrounding the election, the TAF president warned that mitigating wasted resources during electioneering should be properly addressed or the upcoming Ondo governorship election and the 2027 general elections would suffer the same fate.

“You will notice that we released a trust statement by YAGGA and women’s trust fund and that statement is an explicit picture of what transpired and what is still playing out, and we are beginning to see a future playbook to come.

“If we don’t take time and correct some of these issues you will see the same thing playing out in Ondo or even in the 2027 general election.

“It is deeply concerning, especially considering the huge amount of money and resources invested. The political class has unfortunately undermined the democratic values we are all working toward,” Epelle stated.

Reflecting on past elections, he noted that despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, electoral processes then seemed more credible, adding that while irregularities were present, the overall outcomes of previous elections appeared fairer than what was witnessed recently.

“I think maybe the COVID was a blessing in disguise because somehow some of the processes and the provisions despite the harsh realities of that time were followed to a large extent and we saw what looked impossible the emergence of a political figure that was with hot contention with its political masters.”

Epelle emphasised that his critique is not based on any partisan view, stating, “I am apolitical. I don’t care who wins. In this context, both the APC and PDP violated the rules.”

Despite his concerns, Epelle praised the media, particularly Channels Television, for their extensive and inclusive election coverage, commending reporters for their on-the-ground assessments, often in challenging conditions.

“One of the best takeaways for me was the media coverage. It was one of the most comprehensive I’ve seen led by your station. I was very pleased with the level of spot assessment risk they took.

“I think we had one of the best media reporting in this election and the coverage was inclusive,“ he concluded.