mulattoclaro:
The international observers can go to hell for all I care. Any man or woman who lived in Edo state during the time of PDP will understand why it was necessary to kick them out. Why are they still trying to whine like a child denied breast milk. God bless Osho Baba. Yes we agreed there was some element of rigging but come to think of it who introduced rigging and share the money politics to Nigeria? Isn't it PDP? Why are they now crying after we best them to their own game?

mulattoclaro:
The international observers can go to hell for all I care. Any man or woman who lived in Edo state during the time of PDP will understand why it was necessary to kick them out. Why are they still trying to whine like a child denied breast milk. God bless Osho Baba. Yes we agreed there was some element of rigging but come to think of it who introduced rigging and share the money politics to Nigeria? Isn't it PDP? Why are they now crying after we best them to their own game?

blueto:
We know the election was rigged in favor of the ruling party. Jonathan's legacy on conducting Free and Fair election has been marred.

bilulu:

Oga u can't kick fraud out with a bigger fraud...... if APC were popular as dey claim why d massive rigging? why d inducement? why not conduct a free n fair election?

bilulu:

Oga u can't kick fraud out with a bigger fraud...... if APC were popular as dey claim why d massive rigging? why d inducement? why not conduct a free n fair election?

basilo101:
When they manipulated Ondo APC primary elections, afonjas start pontificating on morality but when they manipulate Edo election afonjas celebrate, even interpreting it as their victory over igbos. By the time absolute manipulation power has been totally handed over to them and they manipulate Lagos election, the only consolation of the afonjas, i hope they will shut up

omofunaab:
Elections can't be 100% perfect, people should know that.

dimieprincess:

Ekiti election result as was reported by all the bloggers and other social media was same. In this apc era now, it's only result from The Nation that is now correct, all the results from the polling units as reported by eye witnesses and social media were all changed

blueto:
We know the election was rigged in favor of the ruling party. Jonathan's legacy on conducting Free and Fair election has been marred.

blueto:
We know the election was rigged in favor of the ruling party. Jonathan's legacy on conducting Free and Fair election has been marred.

khadaffi:


Look my brother, I don't give a rat about PDP or APC. When I first heard that media men and some party's agent were not allowed into the collation centre, I thought it was a lie because the complains came from PDP agents. If its found to be true, the election should be out rightly cancelled. There is nothing for INEC to improve on there, that is not how elections have been conducted in Nigeria.

As for money that was flying around. I was really surprised because I thought there was a law that stated that there should not be any form of campaigning on the day of voting. On that day people were openly canvassing for votes while the security men watched HELPLESSLY

MadeInTokyo:
International observers, who monitored Wednesday Edo State governorship election have expressed reservations about the conduct of the election, pointing out that they were not denied entry into the centre vote collation centre and that security operatives at the polling units looked the other way while politicians and their agents induced voters with money.

Prof Ahmed Ansari, head of the African Union Observer Team, asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve on the functionality of the card readers as he noted that the machine did not work in some polling units.

He said along with other international observer groups such as the American Observer team, the British Council and others from the Netherlands and Scotland, the full reports of their impression of the election would be submitted to the INEC and other important election stakeholders.

He said, “The turnout was quite impressive, but there were problems here and there. Another challenge was understaffing. We saw situation whereby only one staff was in a polling unit. That was not good enough.

There were reports of inducement. Every party complained about inducement which to me mean that all of them were guilty. The electorate are not supposed to sell their consciences. To the politicians, it shouldn’t be about money.



He further stated that “as the head of an international observer team, we were not allowed to go to the collation centres at a particular time. That is something we need to complain about. I asked who gave the instruction; who gave the order? It couldn’t be INEC.

“It could be, as they call it, order from above? But the security men told me that ‘sir, this is the order given to us.’ In every situation, one person is allowed to be there. Even when we delegated Victor (his assistant) to go in, he was not allowed to go into the hall.

He said, “He (Victor) was allowed to come within the compound, but was not inside the nucleus, where the whole the exercise took place, adding that “we should be there; we should get the result sheet. We should have a copy but we don’t have copies for now.”

On the rescheduling of collation of results, Prof Ansari said, “it could be for security reasons based on advice, but I didn’t know why they had to stop and leave it for a particular time. Of course, there was no call for it.”



When asked what security operatives could have done upon noticing that money was exchanging hands at the polling units, he said “that depends on the order they gave them.”

Also speaking, Christian Victor from the African Union for Economic, Social and Cultural Council, said many of the things observed in the field on Wednesday were not the kind of things that should happen in an election.

He said, “One of them is that everywhere we visited was filled with money flying around. Some people were fighting some voters for not voting the political parties they were paid for. It was very disappointing that this kind of thing still happens in the Nigeria’s political system.

“I watched the security agencies and it was clear they understood that monies were flying but for reasons best known to them they did not stop it. There were cases of young men, who looked like thugs, driving around during the election.

“They were never stopped by security agencies. That is wrong where there is a restriction of movement. I also saw wealthy people moving around in SUVs during the election.

I have been part of many elections and I have never seen a situation whereby observers and journalists are not allowed into collation centres.”

A local observer, Sadoh Danladi Sunday, stated that it was shocking that the results announced by the INEC did not tally with those his group got from the field.

http://tribuneonlineng.com/foreign-observers-fault-conduct-edo-election/

blueto:
We know the election was rigged in favor of the ruling party. Jonathan's legacy on conducting Free and Fair election has been marred.

MadeInTokyo:
International observers, who monitored Wednesday Edo State governorship election have expressed reservations about the conduct of the election, pointing out that they were not denied entry into the centre vote collation centre and that security operatives at the polling units looked the other way while politicians and their agents induced voters with money.

Prof Ahmed Ansari, head of the African Union Observer Team, asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve on the functionality of the card readers as he noted that the machine did not work in some polling units.

He said along with other international observer groups such as the American Observer team, the British Council and others from the Netherlands and Scotland, the full reports of their impression of the election would be submitted to the INEC and other important election stakeholders.

He said, “The turnout was quite impressive, but there were problems here and there. Another challenge was understaffing. We saw situation whereby only one staff was in a polling unit. That was not good enough.

There were reports of inducement. Every party complained about inducement which to me mean that all of them were guilty. The electorate are not supposed to sell their consciences. To the politicians, it shouldn’t be about money.



He further stated that “as the head of an international observer team, we were not allowed to go to the collation centres at a particular time. That is something we need to complain about. I asked who gave the instruction; who gave the order? It couldn’t be INEC.

“It could be, as they call it, order from above? But the security men told me that ‘sir, this is the order given to us.’ In every situation, one person is allowed to be there. Even when we delegated Victor (his assistant) to go in, he was not allowed to go into the hall.

He said, “He (Victor) was allowed to come within the compound, but was not inside the nucleus, where the whole the exercise took place, adding that “we should be there; we should get the result sheet. We should have a copy but we don’t have copies for now.”

On the rescheduling of collation of results, Prof Ansari said, “it could be for security reasons based on advice, but I didn’t know why they had to stop and leave it for a particular time. Of course, there was no call for it.”



When asked what security operatives could have done upon noticing that money was exchanging hands at the polling units, he said “that depends on the order they gave them.”

Also speaking, Christian Victor from the African Union for Economic, Social and Cultural Council, said many of the things observed in the field on Wednesday were not the kind of things that should happen in an election.

He said, “One of them is that everywhere we visited was filled with money flying around. Some people were fighting some voters for not voting the political parties they were paid for. It was very disappointing that this kind of thing still happens in the Nigeria’s political system.

“I watched the security agencies and it was clear they understood that monies were flying but for reasons best known to them they did not stop it. There were cases of young men, who looked like thugs, driving around during the election.

“They were never stopped by security agencies. That is wrong where there is a restriction of movement. I also saw wealthy people moving around in SUVs during the election.

I have been part of many elections and I have never seen a situation whereby observers and journalists are not allowed into collation centres.”

A local observer, Sadoh Danladi Sunday, stated that it was shocking that the results announced by the INEC did not tally with those his group got from the field.

http://tribuneonlineng.com/foreign-observers-fault-conduct-edo-election/

seunmsg:


Sorry but you are wrong. Observations made by election observers are not a valid grounds for cancelling election but for improvement in subsequent elections. Only the tribunal or an appelate court can cancel an election result once it is declared by INEC.

You should also understand that no election is perfect anywhere in the world. That is why the law always provides a mechanism through which aggrieved parties can seek redress when they are not satisfied with the outcome of an election.

The last part of your comment is very funny. You talk as if you are not a Nigerian and this is the first time you will be hearing about party agents inducing voters with money and canvassing for votes on election day. It is nothing new and the observers observed correctly that the two parties were guilty.

khadaffi:


My point is that the PDP can head to court and let's see what happens. I know that election observers can't cancel an already announced result.

And for your last paragraph, I have witnessed many elections in nigeria and anytime any party agent want to induce voters on election day, they usually do it with the mindset that they could be arrested. What they do is to negotiate with you in the voting field and then they move you to a spot that is hidden, away from security operatives and public before giving you cash. This is the first election I've seen where money was openly shared in the public. Right in full public glare. In the presence of INEC officials and SECURITY operatives. Right in the voting arena.

mulattoclaro:
The international observers can go to hell for all I care. Any man or woman who lived in Edo state during the time of PDP will understand why it was necessary to kick them out. Why are they still trying to whine like a child denied breast milk. God bless Osho Baba. Yes we agreed there was some element of rigging but come to think of it who introduced rigging and share the money politics to Nigeria? Isn't it PDP? Why are they now crying after we best them to their own game?

khadaffi:


My point is that the PDP can head to court and let's see what happens. I know that election observers can't cancel an already announced result.

And for your last paragraph, I have witnessed many elections in nigeria and anytime any party agent want to induce voters on election day, they usually do it with the mindset that they could be arrested. What they do is to negotiate with you in the voting field and then they move you to a spot that is hidden, away from security operatives and public before giving you cash. This is the first election I've seen where money was openly shared in the public. Right in full public glare. In the presence of INEC officials and SECURITY operatives. Right in the voting arena.

omofunaab:
Elections can't be 100% perfect, people should know that.

Maduawuchukwu:
Fowl Yansh don dey open. The legacy of free and fair election bequeathed to us by GEJ has been lost. 2019 is going to be solved with bloodshe be dat o.