CRPP Rejects Edo Local Government Election Results

BENIN CITY – The Conference of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) has called on the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) to explain how it deployed the 10,000 ad hoc staff it earlier announced for last Saturday’s local government election.

The coalition said many polling units across the state recorded low voter turnout and questioned whether the number of election personnel announced before the exercise reflected what was seen on election day.

The demand was contained in a statement jointly signed by the CRPP National Chairman, Dr. Samson Isibor, and the National Secretary, Hon. Nkama Waribe, on Wednesday.

The group argued that the official outcome of the July 11 local government election did not reflect what it described as the mood at polling units across Edo State.

The election was won by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which secured victory in all 18 local government chairmanship seats and all 192 councillorship positions.

However, the CRPP maintained that the election witnessed low participation by voters despite the figures released after the exercise.

According to the coalition, EDSIEC should provide a detailed explanation of how the 10,000 ad hoc staff it announced before the election were deployed across the state.

The group questioned whether the recruitment exercise matched the level of electoral activity observed during the polls.

CRPP also argued that transparent information about election logistics would help strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.

The coalition further alleged that the official figures released after the election did not correspond with what many of its members and observers reported from several polling units.

It said the low turnout reflected growing public dissatisfaction over issues such as insecurity, unemployment, rising living costs and economic hardship.

The group added that improving transparency and accountability in the conduct of elections would help restore public trust in democratic institutions.

As of the time of filing this report, the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission had not publicly responded to the issues raised by the coalition.