Left for the use of Whatsapp group for collection of
election results in the just concluded Govrnorship
election in Edo state,
Nigerians would have yet witnessed another inconclusive election in Edo state.
This was made known by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,
yesterday,
during an interactive session with a coalition of over 60
Civil Society Organisations, CSOs that monitored the governorship election in
Edo State on September 28.
Mrs Amina Zakari who represented the
commission at the event, gave insights into some of the strategies it employed in Edo State that
helped it to ensure that the governorship election was concluded on schedule.
INEC said that it effectively sensitised all the
electoral officers it deployed for the Edo State governorship poll against
induced cancellation of results. Zakari maintained that despite the destruction
of election materials and result sheets by thugs in some polling centres, the
commission still succeeded in getting the results back through its online
platforms, especially via WhatsApp.
She said that INEC had, prior to the election, created
a WhatsApp group for all the collation officers, a development she said made
the sharing of information very easy, saying that the commission equally
established a good result management system that helped it to track and monitor
all the processes.
On
the reports of violence at some polling station during the voting, Zakari described as appalling, attitude of some
politicians in Edo State, who she said were bent on winning the election at all
cost. She said that the situation led to cancellation of results in some areas.
According to her, “Many cancellations were as a result of over-voting. We
cannot take any result that cannot stand. “Again, violence was another factor.
When voters, out of fear, stayed in their homes, the thugs were there to fill
in the gap. Generally, the Edo election went well, security wise, except some
pockets of challenges.”
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