Hendrix Oliomogbe
The Edo State chapter of the Conference of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) has faulted the claim by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that over two million votes were recorded in the last Saturday, July 11, 2026 Local Government Election.
A statement by the national chairman, Dr Samson Isibor and the secretary Mr. Waribe noted that there was no way the election, which he insisted was characterized by widespread voter apathy and extremely low turnout across the 18 local government areas of the state, could have recorded such huge number of votes.
Isibor and Waribe said that the election failed to generate public enthusiasm despite the APC being virtually the only political party that fielded candidates for the exercise.
They pointed out that the poor turnout clearly reflected the growing disenchantment of Edo people with the APC administration at both the state and federal levels.
They cited the worsening insecurity, hunger, unemployment, poverty and the rising cost of living as major factors responsible for the electorate's loss of confidence in the ruling party.
They said: "No amount of inflated or manufactured figures could conceal the obvious rejection of the APC by the people of Edo State. The reality witnessed at polling units across the state was at variance with the impressive figures being publicized by the ruling party.
The duo maintained that the huge vote figures being brandished by the APC were intended to create a false impression before President Bola Tinubu that Edo State remained firmly under the party's control and that he could expect similar electoral support in the 2027 general election.
According to CRPP: "The figures being celebrated are clearly designed to hoodwink President Bola Ahmed Tinubu into believing that the APC still enjoys overwhelming grassroots support in Edo State.
"However, the reality on the ground tells a different story, as the empty polling units and low voter participation exposed the true mood of the people."
The coalition warned the APC led administration not to mistake questionable and unrealistic election statistics for genuine popularity, stressing that the hardship confronting Nigerians had fundamentally altered the political mood of the electorate.
The chairman and the scribe challenged the Chairman of Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), Mr. Jonathan Aifuobhokhan to tell Edo people where he deployed the 10,000 adhoc staff he announced to the world on July 9, that were recruited for the purpose of the fake election, charging:
"We make bold to say that the EDSIEC chairman defrauded Edo people by inventing such factitious figures of adhoc staff that were never seen on ground. So they should tell us how they used our money."
CRPP however expressed confidence that the 2027 general election would present Edo people an opportunity to freely express their democratic choice.
Isibor and Waribe predicted that the ruling party will receive the "shock of its political life" as voters had resolved to democratically reject the party through the ballot.
The coalition therefore urged political leaders to focus on addressing the challenges confronting citizens rather than celebrating what it described as questionable electoral statistics, noting that only good governance, transparency and accountability could restore public confidence in the nation's democratic process.
The Edo State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua however disagreed with CRPP, stating that the election was free and fair and resulted in the APC winning all the 18 local government chairmanship and 192 councillorship.
Against the backdrop of the APC's control of the grassroots, due to its overwhelming victory, Prince Afegbua said that the opposition will result to its usual refrain of vote rigging.
The commissioner insisted that the electoral umpire gave all the opposition parties, equal opportunity to contest and so the question of boycotting didn't arise as many parties ran against the victorious APC.
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