Edo: Presidency Slams Yiaga Africa’s ‘Voodoo Statistics’

The presidency has criticized Yiaga Africa, a civil society organization accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for its remarks on the recent Edo state gubernatorial election results.

In a statement released on September 24, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, stated that Yiaga Africa is overstepping its role as an election observer by questioning INEC’s authority.

The statement emphasized that INEC is the only official body responsible for conducting and declaring election results in Nigeria. It argued that Yiaga Africa should not act as a parallel agency in this matter. The presidency condemned Yiaga Africa’s claims of manipulated results, stating that such allegations lack hard evidence and are based on flawed statistical assumptions.

It was noted that while observer missions can share their observations with INEC and the public, they do not have the authority to declare election results or challenge those declared by INEC. The presidency warned that Yiaga Africa’s actions could create confusion and imply the existence of a parallel election process.

The statement also urged Yiaga Africa to distance itself from the actions of individuals like Governor Godwin Obaseki and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who have faced allegations of misconduct regarding election processes.

The presidency views the election outcome as a strong rejection of Obaseki’s administration and a confirmation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policies aimed at improving Nigeria’s governance and economy. It praised INEC and law enforcement agencies for their professionalism during the election.

Finally, the statement noted that any disputes regarding the election results should be taken to the courts for resolution, in line with Nigeria’s electoral laws.

Full Statement from Bayo Onanuga:

“In its jostle for headline attention, Yiaga Africa, one of the many civil society organizations accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is overreaching its election observer mission to second-guess INEC on the result of last Saturday’s Edo state gubernatorial election. INEC is the sole statutory authority for the conduct and declaration of result of the election. Yiaga Africa is not, and must desist from constituting itself into, a parallel agency for the declaration of election result.

Alleging that results were manipulated without hard facts and figures but based on some statistical guess work is a clear disservice to the electoral process. Yiaga Africa’s report is a travesty, replete with methodological flaws, politicized observations, inconsistencies, inaccuracies, and called its credibility into question.

Election observer missions are not election management agencies and cannot usurp INEC’s statutory authority as the sole election management body in Nigeria. Doing so would constitute a clear breach of the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

While election observer missions, like Yiaga Africa, are at liberty to share their observations about the election process with INEC and the general public, however, declaring election result or second guessing result declared by INEC in performance of its statutory duties, falls beyond their observation mandate.

Declaring or second-guessing the Edo state gubernatorial result based on unsubstantiated, unverified, highly questionable statistical parameters created by Yiaga Africa for Yiaga Africa is designed to create unnecessary confusion and the appearance of a parallel election process.

We urge Yiaga Africa to refrain from enlisting itself in the season’s annals of infamy, alongside the likes of Governor Godwin Obaseki and his illegal and sinister midnight invasion of INEC’s offices, and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s illegal declaration of bogus election result. 

The election’s outcome is an unequivocal rejection of the Obaseki administration’s bad governance and endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visionary policies, which are transforming Nigeria’s economic landscape, strengthening security, and promoting good governance.

The APC reiterates its immense appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration for ensuring a level playing field, to INEC for its professionalism, and to law enforcement agencies for their diligence and service during the election.

By their votes, the good people of Edo State were loud and clear in their choice of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the next Governor to lead the state into a new era of peace, unity, people-centered development and prosperity for all.

Any disputes, contestations or questions about the election may now be submitted to the courts for adjudication in line with electoral and constitutional norms and recourse mechanisms.”

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