Osun election: Group slams INEC over inconsistency

An NGO, The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) has raised alarm about alleged inconsistency of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC warning that it was a threat to the 2023 elections.

Heda said this in a statement it issued on developments in the ongoing litigation over the July 18, 2022 Osun governorship election.

APC and Oyetola served are challenging results in 749 polling units the election was conducted over claims of suspected over-voting in the polling units.

The group recalls that two days after the governorship election was conducted, the APC candidate and Governor Adegboyega Oyetola reportedly applied Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) Report for the election.

It noted that INEC was on record to have after the statutory payments were made on July 29, 2022, issued the CTC of the BVAS’ report to APC and Oyetola.

It said: “INEC is alleged to, having discovered the palpable inconsistencies between figures recorded as accredited votes on the EC8A (result sheet) and the BVAS Report, tampered with the contents of the original BVAS report to protect the mandate awarded to Ademola Adeleke and PDP, at the expense of credible election, by issuing a fresh CTC to the defendants, claiming the CTC earlier issued to APC and Oyetola was incomplete and unsynchronised.

“Considering the Ekiti and Osun elections were conducted and declared on the basis of BVAS, How possible and plausible is it for INEC to have declared a winner from an unsynchronied BVAS? Considering the BVAS report issued was more than 10 days after the Osun election,” it queried.

HEDA as an organisation committed to fight against corruption – financial and electoral, expressed concern about the development

It added: “Noting this particular serious inconsistency and those associated with the senatorial tickets attempts by the current Senate President in Yobe and Former Governor Godswill Akpabio in Akwa Ibom, INEC is charged to do better and remain consistent for a credible, free, fair and popular election in 2023.”

It also called on the anti-corruption agencies to vigorously monitor officials of the Commission to avoid inducement and compromise of the 2023 elections.