Edo poll: Era of pre-filled election result sheets over, INEC declares

• Says Fuel Price Hike Won’t Affect Conduct Of Poll
• Laments Harassment Of Commission’s Staff On Social Media By Election Losers

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the era of pre-recorded election results as witnessed during the last off-cycle governorship election in Kogi State was over.

The commission warned those attempting to forge election result sheets to desist, noting that they would be caught. It also disclosed that the recent hike in fuel price would not affect the conduct of the Edo State governorship election slated for September 21.

Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated these at a press briefing on the upcoming Edo and Ondo states governorship election on Friday, in Abuja.

During the November 11, 2023, Kogi governorship election, some INEC officials were allegedly caught with pre-recorded result sheets, which forced the commission to suspend the election in nine wards.

Responding to a question by The Guardian on the mechanisms put in place to ensure that such incidence does not occur during the Edo and Ondo governorship polls, Oyakanmi said what happened in Kogi was “completely new in recent times.”

He said the commission’s results management process has taken care of such errant behaviour, adding that the result sheets were embedded with security features that can’t be bypassed.

He said: “For a long time, we have not had that problem of pre-filled results sheets. In fact, the other Kogi elections we had, we had the issue of violence not pre-filled. So, this is a norm that is completely new in recent times and I can assure you that the commission took active steps to make sure that doesn’t happen again. In fact, our results sheets cannot be forged because they have security features and nobody knows what those security features are.

INEC has been able to perfect that aspect that if you go ahead and print result sheets, you have just wasted your time because you will not have access to what we have and won’t be able to make use of it.

“Again, our results management process takes care of errant behaviours like that. If people take such actions, we have internal mechanisms although we don’t always talk about it; but political parties know them. Don’t worry; I don’t think we will have any issues of pre-filled results in the upcoming Edo election.”

On whether the hike in fuel price will affect logistics arrangements that have been made for the poll, the CPS said the commission has met with the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to ensure a seamless operation.

“I am aware that the commission in the last couple of days met with officials of the NURTW to discuss this matter and I am sure a resolution was reached. Of course, when you are planning for election, you have what is called contingency, because you don’t know what will happen; so there could be changes and all that. We don’t expect transporters to operate at a loss. If fuel has gone up for instance and they now want some increment, this could be discussed. And like I said, I was not part of the meeting but I am sure some agreement was reached. We have to conduct the election so I don’t think that will cause some problems.”

Oyekanmi also expressed concern over the increasing number of attacks on its officials on social media by individuals unhappy with the outcomes of recent elections. He said that the constant harassment of officials of the commission was being fueled by fake news circulating on social media.