Ahead of Saturday’s August 16 Edo bye-elections, a civil society organisation, the Coalition of Observer Groups in Nigeria, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure a free, fair, and credible process, while warning against any attempt to undermine the will of the people.

 

The coalition, led by Simon Diogu, issued the warning in a statement on Thursday, alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state may be plotting to manipulate the outcome of the elections in Edo Central Senatorial District and Ovia Federal Constituency.

 

Diogu urged President Bola Tinubu to resist any temptation to militarise the process and called on the Nigeria Police to maintain professionalism before, during, and after the elections.

 

“We have received credible reports suggesting that duplicate result sheets may be unlawfully prepared before collation begins, potentially undermining the integrity of the exercise,” the statement read in part.

 

 

The group also noted that Edo Central is the home constituency of the sitting governor, urging him to publicly condemn reported threats made by his supporters against opposition parties and candidates. It further called on him, as the state’s Chief Security Officer, to ensure the polls are peaceful, violence-free, and conducted in strict adherence to the law.

 

The coalition stressed that any democracy is only as strong as the confidence citizens have in it, insisting that INEC bears both a legal and moral duty to protect the process from manipulation or intimidation. It urged the commission to take urgent and visible steps to guarantee that collation remains open, verifiable, and free from interference.