Opposition coalition says low voter turnout contradicted the ruling party’s declared landslide victory, while challenging EDSIEC to explain its deployment of 10,000 ad hoc staff

The Conference of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) has rejected the outcome of the July 11 local government election in Edo State, insisting that the results declared by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) did not reflect the will of voters and accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of celebrating what it described as “manufactured figures” rather than a genuine electoral mandate.

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The coalition’s position comes days after EDSIEC declared the APC winner of all 18 local government chairmanship seats and 192 councillorship wards, handing the party a clean sweep in the state’s local government elections.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its National Chairman, Dr Samson Isibor, and National Secretary, Hon. Nkama Waribe, the CRPP argued that the declared results contrasted sharply with what it described as widespread voter apathy across the state.

According to the coalition, the ruling party’s celebration of claims that more than two million votes were cast failed to align with the reality witnessed at polling units, where it alleged turnout remained extremely low despite the APC fielding candidates across virtually all constituencies.

“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,” the statement read.

“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 CRPP contended that the election generated little public enthusiasm and described the exercise as another indication of growing public dissatisfaction with the APC-led administrations at both the state and federal levels.

The coalition linked what it called declining voter confidence to persistent economic and security challenges, including rising food prices, unemployment, poverty and insecurity, arguing that these factors had reshaped the political mood in Edo State.

“No amount of inflated or manufactured figures can conceal the obvious rejection of the APC by the people of Edo State,” the coalition said, maintaining that the figures announced after the election did not correspond with events observed across polling centres.

Beyond questioning the results, the CRPP challenged EDSIEC Chairman Jonathan Aifuobhokhan to account for the deployment of 10,000 ad hoc staff, whom the commission had earlier announced would participate in the conduct of the election.

The coalition alleged that many of the personnel were never seen during the exercise and called for greater transparency over the recruitment process and the expenditure associated with the election.

“We make bold to say that the APC connived with the EDSIEC chairman to defraud Edo people by inventing such factitious figures of ad hoc staff that were never seen on ground. So, they should tell us how they used our money,” the statement added.

The local government election formed part of Edo State’s constitutional process for electing chairmen and councillors across its 18 councils.

However, local government elections in Nigeria have frequently attracted criticism from opposition parties and civil society organisations over concerns about transparency, voter participation and the independence of state electoral commissions.

The APC has maintained that its victory reflected widespread public support, while EDSIEC declared the election peaceful and successfully conducted.

The CRPP, however, insisted that the 2027 general election would provide Edo voters with an opportunity to express their preferences in a broader national contest.

The coalition predicted that the ruling party would face a sterner electoral test if prevailing economic conditions persist, urging political leaders to prioritise governance over what it described as celebrations based on questionable election statistics.

It concluded that rebuilding public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process would depend on greater transparency, accountability and policies that directly improve the welfare of citizens.

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Neither the APC nor EDSIEC had publicly responded to the specific allegations contained in the CRPP statement at the time of filing this report.