EDO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION REPORT 2020 2020 Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room

Situation Room Secretariat: c/o Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) Plot 451 Gambo Jimeta Crescent, Guzape District, Abuja, Nigeria

Telephone: 09095050505, 09032999919 Website: http://situationroom.placng.org Facebook: facebook.com/situationroomnigeria Twitter: @situationroomng TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Background Information on Edo State 1 Legal Framework for the 2020 Governorship Election 2 Electoral Statistics 3 Political Environment 4 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic 6

PRE-ELECTION ACTIVITIES 7

Situation Room Pre-Election Activities 7 Governorship Debate 8 Political Party Primaries 8 Candidate Swap by the Two Major Parties 11 Election Campaign 11 Preparation by INEC 12 Registration of Voters and Collection of PVCs 14 Recruitment and Training of Ad hoc Staff 14 Briefing for Election Stakeholders 15 Distribution of Election Materials and Other Logistics 15 Signing of The Peace Accord 16 Preparation by Security Agents 16 State of Security 17

ELECTION DAY OBSERVATION 19

Structure and Observation Methodology 19 Ward Collation Observation 19 Deployment of Observers 20 Arrival of INEC Officials and Commencement of Voting 20 Turnout and Conduct of Voters 21 Presence and Conduct of Party Agents 21 Election Day Security 21 Collation Process 22

POST ELECTION OBSERVATION 23

Vote Tabulation and Declaration of Results 23 Reactions of Political Parties and Candidates 23 Resolution of Conflicts 24

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 25

APPENDIX 27

GALLERY 39 INTRODUCTION

Background Information on Edo State

Edo State was created on 27th August 1991 out of the old Bendel State, by the Military Government of General Ibrahim Babangida. The State shares borders with Kogi State to the North East, Anambra State to the East, Delta State to the South and Ondo State to the West.

The capital of Edo State is Benin City, which was the capital city of the former Mid- Western region of Nigeria created in 1963 and later renamed Bendel State in 19761. Benin City is also the seat of the ancient Benin kingdom an d is widely known for its cultural artefacts and rich history.

The State has an estimated population of 4,235,595 people as at 20162, spread across eighteen (18) Local Government Areas and a total landmass of 19,187 square kilometers. Edo State is mostly comprised of three main ethnic groups, namely Bini, Esan and Afemai.

Economic activities of the people include trading, production of wood, rubber and timber, as well as farming. Edo State is also rich in mineral resources like limestone, crude oil and natural gas, clay chalk, marbles and lignite.

1 Wikipedia. Retrieved on 7th July 2020 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_State 2 Nigeria Population Commission and National of Bureau of Statistics Estimates. Retrieved on the 7th July 2020 from file:///Users/plac/Downloads/Population%20Forecasts.pdf

1 Edo State is comprised of eighteen (18) Local Government Areas, namely:

Akoko Edo Etsako Central Ovia South- Esan North-East Etsako East West Esan Central Etsako West Ovia North-East Esan West Igueben Orhionwon Esan South East Ikpoba-Okha Owan East Egor Oredo Owan West Uhunmwonde

Right after the April 2007 general elections in Nigeria, election into the office of Governor in Edo State has been conducted as an off-cycle poll, following the judgment of the Court of Appeal on 11th November 2008, upholding the decision of the Election Petition Tribunal that overturned INEC’s declaration of Oserheimen Osunbor as winner of the 2007 gubernatorial poll, and declaring Adams Oshiomole governor of the State. The September 2020 election will be the third off-cycle governorship election in the State since that judicial intervention.

Legal Framework for the 2020 Governorship Election

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and Rules, Regulations, Guidelines and Manuals made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), all guide the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

Section 176 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) creates the office of the Governor of a State. The Governor of a State shall be elected for a term of four years (section 180 of the Constitution). By the provisions of Section 178 (1 & 2) of the Constitution and section 25 (7 & 8) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), election into the office of a State Governor shall not be conducted earlier than one hundred and fifty days and not later than thirty days to the date of the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent. In accordance with these provisions, INEC scheduled the 2020 Edo State governorship election for 19th September 2020. The tenure of the incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki, will expire on 11th November 2020, by when he would have spent four years at the helm of affairs of the State.

2 Electoral Statistics

Edo State has a total of 2,210,534 registered voters out of which 1,726,738 voters have collected their permanent voter’s card (PVC), leaving 483,796 PVCs uncollected. Below are statistics of Registration Areas (RAs), Polling Units (PUs) and Voting Points (PVs) in the State:

VOTING S/N LGA NO of RAs NO of PUs POINTS

1. Akoko Edo 10 143 343

2. Egor 10 170 549

3. Esan Central 10 90 139

4. Esan North East 11 104 196

5. Esan South East 10 100 166

6. Esan West 10 114 240

7. Etsako Central 10 79 130

8. Etsako East 10 89 192

9. Etsako West 12 140 385

10. Igueben 10 48 96

11. Ikpoba Okha 10 340 840

12. Oredo 12 357 856

13. Orhionmwon 12 208 305

14. Ovia North East 13 144 341

15. Ovia South West 10 100 235

16. Owan East 11 160 222

17. Owan West 11 150 166

18. Uhunmwode 10 91 182

3 TOTAL 192 2,627 5,583 Source: INEC 2019 General Election Information kit

Political Environment

The atmosphere ahead of the September 19, 2020 governorship election in Edo State was mostly characterised by political party intrigues and health concerns, following the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The election would become the first major election to be conducted in Nigeria amidst a pandemic.

It seemed that the tense atmosphere that preceded the 2016 governorship election in the State was recreated in 2020, as Inflammatory rhetoric and threats of violence by political parties and their supporters raised serious concerns, and drew the attention of election stakeholders beyond Edo State, to the national and international levels. Although 14 candidates were participating in the election, the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osagie Ize-Iyamu and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Godwin Obaseki seemed to be the most vociferous in stoking the fires and threats of violence. The internal rancour within the two leading political parties in the State, the APC and the PDP made this even more rife, particularly in the light of the agitations within the APC in the State and subsequently, at the national level.

The issues in the then ruling APC in Edo State, began well before the governorship election and festered up until the election. In the lead up to the 2019 general elections, there were conflicts among APC party leaders in Edo State, particularly between the incumbent Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki and his predecessor, Adams Oshiomole who was the National Chairman of the party at the time. Both men were battling for supremacy in the State. The Governor had literally been handpicked by Oshiomhole in 2016 to succeed him. This battle between the incumbent governor and his godfather soon created a division among members of the party. Following the 2019 general elections and the subsequent inauguration of the 9th Assembly in Edo State in June 2019, the Clerk of the Edo State House of Assembly inaugurated only 12 members-elect and declared others absent, creating a crisis among the lawmakers. The crisis deepened when the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Francis Okiye in December 2019, declared the seats of the other 12 lawmakers and two inaugurated lawmakers, representing Oredo East and Owan East State Constituencies, vacant for not meeting the mandatory seating requirement. This brought the number of

4 recognised lawmakers in the Assembly to 10 out of 24 elected members, despite all of them being from the same party- the ruling APC, at the time. The 14 affected lawmakers were said to be loyal to Adams Oshiomhole with the other 10 being loyal to the incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki.

The State leadership of the party was not left out in the intrigues. In November 2019, the APC reportedly sacked some members of the State Executives who were allegedly loyal to the State Governor and this culminated in the opening of a factional secretariat office of the Party in the State. This also resulted in party members seeking different judicial interventions in the matter.

By June 2020, when the governorship primaries were billed to take place, the crisis in the APC was manifesting on two fronts – one, the struggle for the control of the party at the national level and two, who emerges governorship candidate in Edo State. The fight for supremacy between Godwin Obaseki and Adams Oshiomhole broke into the open in March 2020, when Oshiomhole was suspended from the party in his Ward, Etsako Ward 10 of Etsako West LGA over his alleged “divisive role” in the party. The suspension was later ratified by the State Executives allegedly loyal to Godwin Obaseki and upheld by a Federal High Court in Abuja on 4th March 2020. The suspension temporarily forced Oshiomhole out of the party and his National Chairman position. A Federal High Court in Kano intervened to save him. This was however, only a temporary reprieve, as the Court of Appeal on June 16, affirmed his suspension, again forcing him out of his National Chairman position and creating a lacuna in the composition of the APC National Working Committee. The National Working Committee of the Party was later dissolved by the National Executive Council of the party.

The situation in the Edo State House of Assembly took another turn in August 2020, when the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Yekini Idiaye was impeached for declaring support for the faction of the APC loyal to Adams Oshiomhole. Following this, the members- elect who were yet to be inaugurated and some other members of the Assembly who had switched factions, purported to hold a parallel inauguration ceremony, attempted to impeach the Speaker of the Assembly and elect a new Speaker. This caused the police and other security personnel to take over the Assembly complex to get the situation under control.

Closer to the election, allegations of thugs arriving in the State were rife. Political

5 parties and their supporters exchanged threats of violence and got involved in smear campaigns.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

The year 2020 has seen a halt of both economic and political activities, as well as aspirations of individuals and societies across the world due to the outbreak of an infectious disease known as Corona Virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The disease, which reportedly emanated from Wuhan in China in December 2019, has spread to over 200 countries and territories around the world and killed people in hundreds of thousands since then.

Nigeria’s index case was reported on 27th February 2020 in Lagos State. Since then, the number of confirmed cases has risen to tens of thousands, as the virus spread across the States of the Federation.

While political parties were preparing for local congresses ahead of the party primaries in Edo State, a case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the State on 23rd March 2020. Edo State has remained among the top ten States affected by COVID-19 in Nigeria.

6 PRE-ELECTION ACTIVITIES

Situation Room Pre-Election Activities

As part of its preparations for the Edo State Governorship election, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) held a Strategy Meeting with its partners in Edo State to discuss the political situation in the State, to guide Situation Room’s strategy for observing the election.

Dialogue Session with INEC Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner

Situation Room also held a Dialogue Session with the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Edo State, Dr. Johnson Alalibo on 26th August 2020, to garner some insight on the level of the Commission’s preparedness for the election. The REC discussed INEC’s completed and pending activities at the time, from recruitment and training of ad hoc staff, sensitisation programmes for vulnerable groups, distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive materials, deployment of non-pharmaceutical materials to curb the spread of COVID-19, to other election logistics issues. He also discussed the Commission’s collaboration with stakeholders, particularly the Police on election security, to douse tension in the State and secure the electoral process. Although specific details were not made available, the Commission assured that it was working with security agencies to forestall violence in the election. Dr. Alalibo further gave assurances of INEC’s commitment to ensure a peaceful and credible election in Edo State.

7 Interactive Session with the Inspector-General of Police

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu hosted an Interactive Session with Situation Room on 31st August 2020, where the Edo State governorship election formed one of the issues for deliberation. The misinformation and disinformation within public space, inciting statements by political actors, as well as the high likelihood of violence posed by the election were discussed. Another aspect of the conversation was the welfare of police personnel, their training in line with COVID-19 guidelines and security deployment with an aim to achieve a free and fair election. Situation Room made a strong call for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission to curb electoral offences.

Governorship Debate

The candidates of the two main political parties in the Edo State governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC and Governor Godwin Obaseki of the PDP participated in a governorship debate in Benin city on Sunday, 13th September 2020. The debate was supported by Situation Room and its secretariat, the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC). It provided an opportunity for both candidates to speak to the people of Edo State on why they should be elected to the office of Governor. It was one of the rare moments that issue based campaign crept into what had been strong rhetoric and threats of violence in the run up to the governorship election.

Political Party Primaries

In line with INEC’s timetable and schedule of activities for the election, primaries for the Edo election held between 2nd and 27th June 2020. A screening process for governorship aspirants usually precedes political party primaries, where each party elects a candidate through its preferred mode of primary. Following the screening of APC governorship aspirants, Godwin Obaseki was disqualified from contesting the party’s primary election held on 22nd June 2020, on an allegation of certificate forgery. It would appear that while ousted APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole struggled to hold on to the reins of power in the party, he had put machinery in motion to ensure that Obaseki did not emerge as governorship candidate of the APC in Edo State. Obaseki subsequently decamped to the main opposition party in the State, PDP with some of his supporters, in the hope of winning the party’s governorship ticket for the September 19 governorship election.

A major issue among political parties during this time was deciding on the mode of party primaries. This stirred some contention within the APC, as the faction led by Governor Obaseki advocated for indirect primaries, while other party members, including Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Adams Oshiomole showed preference for direct primaries, which was eventually adopted by the party’s national executive body. Osagie Ize-Iyamu emerged candidate of the APC. He scored 27,838 votes to defeat his closest rival and former deputy governor of the State, Pius Odubu who scored 3,776, and Osaze Obaze who scored 2,324 votes.

In the PDP, the entrance of Governor Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, stirred its own uproar among members vying for the party’s candidature in the election. Iinitial reactions to Obaseki’s move to the party did not give indications that he was going to be handed the party’s governorship ticket on a platter, as some of the aspirants vowed to resist any attempt to award him the ticket. The party had screened and cleared three aspirants on 5th June 2020, for the party’s primary election, exactly two weeks before Godwin Obaseki joined the party on 19th June 2020. However, the tide soon turned in his favour when three aspirants, including his main contender, Kenneth Imasuagbon stepped down for him, just before the party’s indirect primary exercise. He garnered 1,952 votes out of a total of 2,022 valid votes.

Twelve (12) other governorship candidates emerged from other political parties in the State, in addition to those of the APC and PDP, making a total of 14 governorship candidates for the election. Two political parties, African Democratic Congress (ADC) and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) presented female candidates for the contest while two others, Labour Party (LP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) fielded female running-mates on their platforms.

It is important to note that the number of political parties that fielded candidates for the election significantly decreased from the last two governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States, where there were 23 and 45 governorship candidates, respectively. This was as a result of the deregistration of 74 political parties by INEC in February 2020. Although some parties went on to challenge the decision in the courts, it still made a significant impact, as less political parties appeared on the ballot in this election. This may be a plus for election management, as the electoral umpire can save resources from printing long ballot papers loaded with a plethora of political parties, regardless of their levels of operation and effectiveness.

9 Political party primaries were generally adjudged to be peaceful by civil society groups working in the State, who observed the exercise.

10 Candidate Swap by the Two Major Parties

Godwin Obaseki was the candidate of APC in the 2016 Edo State Governorship election while Osagie Ize-Iyamu was the candidate of the PDP. However, ahead of the 2020 election in the State, both men exchanged parties, or the APC and PDP swapped candidates. Ize-Iyamu, the former opposition (PDP) candidate in the 2016 election gained the APC ticket with support of erstwhile Governor and former APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomole. Ize-Iyamu was the first runner-up in the 2016 Governorship Election in Edo State under the PDP platform, whom Oshiomole vigorously campaigned against, in favour of his now estranged successor, Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The move of Governor Obaseki and his deputy to the PDP created a dilemma in the democratic space at the time - whether to refer to PDP as the party in power in Edo State or if the APC was still in power. This was further compounded by the fact that the party affiliation of some members of the State Executive Council and State lawmakers could not be ascertained.

Election Campaign

The election campaign in Edo State was loaded with violent rhetoric and name calling. Issue based campaign highlighting each participating party’s or candidate’s development agenda for the people of the State was very minimal. Rather, candidates and their parties attacked their opponents on personal basis and traded blames for violent incidents in the State.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 health challenge, INEC and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) developed vital public health advisories to guide election activities in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. INEC developed a document titled, Policy On Conducting Elections in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic3, which set out in detail what is expected of all election stakeholders in the pursuit of their various activities before and during the election. NCDC also developed a similar document, Guidelines for Conducting Elections During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Nigeria.4 While INEC encouraged political parties to develop guidelines and regulations for conduct

3 INEC; POLICY ON CONDUCTING ELECTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, policy number 01/2020, 21st May 2020. Retrieved on 22 July 2020 from https://inecnigeria.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/06/INEC-Elections-and-COVID19-Documents-1.pdf 4 NCDC; GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING ELECTIONS DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK IN NIGERIA, 6th July 2020. Retrieved on 22nd July 2020 from https://covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/media/files/ElectionsDuringCOVID- 19July2020.pdf

11 of party primaries that take into account the COVID-19 prevention protocols, the NCDC guidelines enjoined parties to adopt and publicise all recommended safety protocols, such as physical distancing and use of facemasks, and where applicable, hold virtual campaigns and use mobile vans for their activities. The NCDC guidelines also encouraged sensitisation of election staff and political parties, as well as the general public by INEC and State Ministries of Health.

The candidates of the main parties conducted campaign rallies across the State. However, these gave rise to health concerns, as venues for such rallies were often filled to full capacity without any sign of physical distancing or regard to some of the other safety measures. Governor Obaseki had earlier issued a directive prohibiting mass gatherings to curb the spread of COVID-19, and this was perceived to be targeted at the APC and its plan to conduct a direct primary. However, it appeared that the governor and his new party equally flouted the order during campaigns.

In the days that preceded the election, several videos surfaced online of parties distributing materials such as wrappers, as well as cash to the electorate. These intensified concerns that political parties and their candidates were likely to perpetuate vote buying by offering items to voters in the form of COVID-19 lockdown palliatives.

Preparation by INEC

INEC issued the notice of poll for the Edo State Governorship election on 1st June 2020, and subsequently published a timetable and schedule of activities for the election. The Commission also released policy documents to provide safety instructions and protocols in form of non-pharmaceutical measures such as use of face masks, hand sanitisers, infra-red hand-held thermometres and observing physical distancing at the polling units/voting points, campaign grounds and collation centres, amongst others, to guide the conduct of elections. It also required voters to wear face masks in order to be allowed to vote. INEC was responsible for the provision of these safety materials for its personnel. Methylated spirit and cotton wool were to be provided for disinfecting Smart Card Readers after use by each voter. These documents also covered INEC’s mode of engagements with other election stakeholders such as civil society and other observer groups, security agents on election duty and the recruitment and training of ad hoc staff. This meant that most of these engagements were to be carried out virtually. The documents further stipulated protocols for political parties in the conduct of primary elections and campaigns, and the general

12 public on gatherings and voting. Following the review of the policy documents, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room made some recommendations to INEC, which were incorporated into the Supplementary guidelines later released by the Commission.

Although the Nasarawa Central State Constituency bye-election was the first to be held since the outbreak of COVID-19 and therefore served as a test for the application of INEC’s COVID-19 guidelines for elections, the Edo State election was the first major election to be held in the pandemic.

Additionally, INEC made adjustments to Polling Unit settings in compliance with COVID-19 regulations. It announced that there would be an increase in the threshold of voters per Voting Point (VP) from 500/750 to 1,000/1,250 in order to reduce the number of VPs in a Polling Unit (PU), for more effective and efficient monitoring to ensure compliance with health protocols. To be able to observe all the relevant health protocols, INEC rescheduled the commencement of polls from the usual time of 8:00am to 8:30am. This meant that voting would end at 2:30pm instead of 2:00pm. Election Administration

INEC also made some changes to its election administration process by the introduction of its Election Result Viewing Portal on Thursday, August 6, 2020. The portal allows citizens to view copies of election results as recorded and uploaded real-time from polling units on election day, using Z-pads deployed for use at the polling units. The INEC form, EC60E introduced in the recent past, which is a poster version of the primary result sheet, EC8A is pasted at polling units after results are counted and announced. In addition to this, a photo image of form EC8A is now required to be uploaded to the portal. However, INEC noted that the launch of its public portal, INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal did not constitute electronic collation of results. The Commission commenced the use of the portal at the Nasarawa bye- election on August 8, 2020. However, the Commission stated that it was going to restrict the use of the Z-pads to uploading polling unit results and not deploy it as a secondary means of voter authentication. The Z-pads were designed to serve as a second layer of voter identification using its face recognition feature, especially where the Smart Card Reader does not work properly. However, from the test run of the technology in the Nasarawa election, the Commission opted to limit its use to uploading results as the voter authentication function did not work optimally.

To further strengthen the integrity of the electoral process, the Commission introduced new security features on its sensitive materials to reduce potential interference with

13 ballot papers and result sheets by political actors. This was disclosed by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu at a meeting on the Edo State election, organised by the National Peace Committee on Friday, 11th September 2020 which had the Situation Room secretariat and the police in attendance.

Registration of Voters and Collection of PVCs

According to INEC guidelines, the customary Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) that the Commission carried out ahead of major elections was suspended owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last CVR exercise ended in August 2018. By implication, any citizen who attained the age of 18 years since August 2018 did not have an opportunity to be registered to vote at this election. Therefore, the Voters’ Register used for the conduct of the 2019 general elections was going to be used for the Edo governorship election. The pandemic also affected the collection of PVCs, as the 483,796 uncollected PVCs in the State were not distributed ahead of the election. Voter Education and Sensitisation

INEC organised capacity building exercises for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), women groups and civil society organisations (CSOs), to equip them to effectively engage in the electoral process.

Recruitment and Training of Ad hoc Staff

INEC conducted the recruitment of election day ad hoc staff through a portal dedicated to that purpose. INEC stated that a committee at its headquarters was involved in the recruitment process, in addition to the Edo State office of the Commission. Further, each ad hoc staff was to be issued an employment letter by the INEC headquarters, stipulating the details of the individual and other terms of their engagement. In addition, the payment of ad hoc staff would be made using the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This was to address the issues surrounding the welfare of ad hoc staff and the situation where the process is circumvented, resulting in trained ad hoc staff being replaced by untrained persons on election day.

The Commission announced that it would be deploying 20,974 ad hoc staff, comprised mostly of NYSC members, for the election. Among these were 18 Local Government

14 Collation Officers, 192 Registration Area Collation Officers, 263 Supervisory Presiding Officers, 2,627 Presiding Officers, 13,557 Assistant Presiding Officers, 3,259 Presiding Officers (for Voting Points) and 841 reserve staff. INEC announced that itputa comprehensive insurance cover in place for all its ad hoc staff.

The Commission organised a 3-day training session for its election day personnel, which involved practical sessions on the use of the Smart Card Readers. The Commission’s Electoral Officers were also trained by the Electoral Institute with support from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), to improve their capacity.

Briefing for Election Stakeholders

INEC hosted a Stakeholders’ meeting in Benin City, the Edo State capital on 14th September 2020. Speaking at this gathering, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured all stakeholders of the Commission’s commitment to conducting the election to the required standard. Prof. Yakubu also stated that the Commission’s headquarters would monitor the election through a virtual INEC Situation Room hosted on the Zoom platform, where accredited observers and media agents would be allowed to join at intervals. The Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu, who was present at the meeting stated that the police had identified flashpoints in the State and was ready to curtail any form of violence that may arise.

The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Shuaib Ibrahim represented by the South-South supervisor of the NYSC, Benjamin Ayodele, enjoined stakeholders to ensure the safety of Corps members deployed as ad hoc staff for the election. A representative of the Oba of Benin, Chief Osato Bazuaye called on INEC and the police to ensure the conduct of a free, fair and peaceful election in Edo State.

Distribution of Election Materials and Other Logistics

In addition to sensitive and non-sensitive election materials, INEC also distributed non-pharmaceutical safety materials such as buckets for handwashing, hand sanitisers, infrared hand-held thermometres, etc. Non-sensitive materials were received by INEC in Edo State and distributed to the 18 LGAs of the State in July,

15 two months before the election. Sensitive materials were sent to the State closer to the election day. On Wednesday, 16th September 2020, sensitive materials were distributed from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office in Benin, to the Registration Area Centres (RACs), from where they were to be further deployed to polling units. The distribution of sensitive materials was observed by Situation Room observers, accredited party agents and media agents. Situation Room received reports of hostility towards observers and media agents by some policemen.

The Commission stated that it had configured Smart Card Readers for deployment at the election and its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems had been reinforced to ensure optimal functioning. INEC also stated that it was deploying magnifying glasses, braille ballot guides, as well as braille versions of its policy document on conducting election in the context of the pandemic and its Voters’ Code of Conduct, for PWDs.

INEC entered into agreements with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to provide vehicles for the transportation of staff and materials for the election.

Signing of The Peace Accord

The National Peace Committee in conjunction with INEC, the police and civil society groups, organised a Peace ceremony in Benin on Tuesday, 15th September 2020. Governorship candidates of the 14 political parties and the State chairmen of the parties signed a Peace Accord, as a show of commitment to refrain from violence during and after the election. The Committee has General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former Head of State as its Chairman, while the Bishop Matthew Kukar Centre hosts the secretariat of the Committee. The meeting was attended by officials of INEC, traditional rulers, including a representative of the Oba of Benin and civil society groups.

Preparation by Security Agents

The Inter-Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) co-chaired by the INEC Chairman and the Inspector General of Police, developed a Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement for Security Personnel on Election Duty. The document

16 outlined what is expected of security agents deployed for the election at every point of the electoral process, including crowd control and compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols. Trainings were also conducted for the security agents to enable them effectively carry out their responsibilities. The Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu at INEC’s Stakeholders’ meeting, announced that the Force would be deploying 31,00 security personnel for election security duty. He gave assurances that the security agents deployed will work to protect INEC staff and assets, voters and all residents of the State before, during and immediately after the election

State of Security

The polity in Edo State was heated up by intra and inter party rivalries, evidenced mostly by inflammatory statements. Situation Room received several reports of skirmishes in some parts of the State, particularly in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area and allegations among political parties over the engagement of thugs and local cult groups for political activities. Another hotspot identified by Situation Room partners is Etsako West LGA, where Adams Oshiomhole and Philip Shuaibu hail from. These security challenges and threats raised serious concerns about the election among stakeholders.

17 An example of a major violent incident is stated as follows: on Saturday, 25th July 2020, a fight occurred at the Palace of Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II N’Ogidigan, between supporters of the APC and PDP following a visit of the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki and members of the PDP National Campaign Council to the Palace, ahead of the party’s campaign flag-off. According to reports, gunshots were fired in the clash, which resulted in several persons sustaining varying degrees of injuries while many vehicles were allegedly destroyed. The Police, however, intervened and brought the situation under control. Both parties have apportioned blames and point accusing fingers at each other over the incident.

18 ELECTION DAY OBSERVATION

Structure and Observation Methodology

Situation Room’s Election Day set up is divided into an Analysts’ Room and a Technical Room. The Technical Room is comprised of a Call Centre, a Social Media Desk and an Escalation Desk. The Call Centre communicates with field observers deployed across the State, to receive reports on the conduct of the election, and also receives reports from citizen observers. The reports are documented and then published on Situation Room’s social media platforms. Reports of incidents are verified and escalated to relevant agencies for intervention, based on the nature of the incidents. The escalation process also involves follow up, to see how the issues are resolved. The reports received are discussed by experts in the Analysts’ Room, with a view to assessing the electoral process in general and the role of each election stakeholder. The conclusions arrived at form the basis for Situation Room’s press statements on the election.

Situation Room’s Election Day set up for this election was domiciled in Benin City, Edo State, with a liaison hub set up at its secretariat, PLAC office in Abuja.

Ward Collation Observation

Situation Room collaborated with one of its member organisations, the Stakeholders’ Democracy Network (SDN) on a Ward Observation project for the election. In addition to polling unit observation, Situation Room observers were also deployed to the 192 Wards of the State, to observe the ward collation process.

19 Deployment of Observers

Situation Room deployed 300 observers across the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and three Senatorial Districts of the State. They set out early to polling units within their LGAs of deployment to examine the electoral process, as it unfolded. The observers were to look out for the following: Early Distribution of election materials and personnel; Timely commencement of polls; Use of Smart Card Readers; Pasting of Form EC60E (poster result sheets) at polling units and use of Z-pads to upload images of Form EC8A (polling unit result sheets) to the INEC Result Viewing Portal; Conduct of security agents; Availability and use of assistive materials for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and other vulnerable groups; Compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols; and Ward collation process.

Arrival of INEC Officials and Commencement of Voting

INEC officials and materials arrived relatively early in several polling units, mostly in Edo North and Edo Central Senatorial Districts. However, in some other locations, polling officials arrived late, leading to late commencement of polls. In some cases, this was occasioned by late arrival of security agents to the Registration Area Centres (RACs), to escort election officials and materials to the polling units. Accreditation and voting started at an average of 9:00am across most voting locations.

Reports received by Situation Room indicated that the voting process went on smoothly, to a large extent. Smart Card Readers were widely deployed for the exercise. However, there were a few reports of card reader malfunction with regard to failure to authenticate voters’ fingerprints. These were also reported to have been rectified, with the voting process resuming afterwards. In some of the polling units observed, elderly persons were given priority voting access.

20 Turnout and Conduct of Voters

Voter turnout for the election was very low. With 1,726,738 PVCs collected in the State, the total number of accredited voters was 557,443. This number accounts for a mere 32.28% of voters with PVCs in Edo State. This is a drop from the 32.73% turnout recorded in the 2016 governorship election in the State. The low turnout this time may have been as a result of the tense political environment or health concerns over COVID-19.

Compliance with COVID-19 Protocols: INEC deployed safety tools such as hand sanitisers, infrared thermometers, methylated spirit and cotton wool for the card readers. However, the use of these materials and physical distancing were not strictly adhered to. Also, many voters showed up at the polling units without their face masks.

Vote Buying: Vote buying was widespread, with all major political parties engaging in the act. Situation Room observed this trend in at least 55% of polling units visited. In addition to politicians offering to purchase votes, the voters appeared willing to sell their votes.

Presence and Conduct of Party Agents

Party agents were present at most polling units. Observers identified mostly agents of the two leading political parties, the APC and the PDP. Although they were there to observe the electoral process, some of them also mobilised vote trading activities.

Election Day Security

An average of 3 security agents were deployed per polling unit. They were comprised of personnel of the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of State Security Services (DSS) and other sister security agencies. Security agents generally conducted themselves in a professional manner and were seen wearing identification tags. They were reported to have intervened to resolve altercations that ensued, in some instances. However, a few of incidents involving security agents

21 were also reported. One was related to the invasion of a hotel housing one of the leaders of a major political party, while another incident involved restraining staff of an election observer group from gaining access into their Data Centre.

The conduct of security agents was a marked improvement from the Kogi and Bayelsa States governorship election held in November 2019, where security personnel engaged in voter intimidation and were generally involved in disrupting the electoral process.

The election was largely devoid of violence except for some cases of voter intimidation and snatching of ballot boxes by thugs in Esan West and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Areas, and the shooting of an INEC official in Estako Central Local Government Area.

Collation Process

In some polling units, voting ended well before 2:30pm, after which sorting and counting of votes commenced. Polling unit results were uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal rather slowly, as a significant amount of results were yet to be uploaded at the time of collation. The Ward Collation process went on into the late hours of the night in some areas. Situation Room received reports of military personnel mounting roadblocks around Collation Centres in Edo North Senatorial District and harassing citizens and election observers who tried to gain access to observe the collation process.

22 POST ELECTION OBSERVATION

Vote Tabulation and Declaration of Results

The election results were announced by afternoon on Sunday, 20th September 2020, when results from all Local Government Areas had been received. The Returning Officer, Professor Akpofure Rim-Rukeh declared that Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC scored 233,619 votes, while Godwin Obaseki of the PDP scored the majority votes of 307,995, and returned him as winner of the election.

According to INEC, out of a total of 557,443 accredited voters for the election, 550,242 votes were cast. While 537,407 votes were valid, 12,835 votes were rejected.5 It is unclear if the difference of7,201 between the number of accredited voters and votes cast are voters who got accredited but somehow, were unable to cast their votes.

Reactions of Political Parties and Candidates

Upon the declaration of Governor Obaseki as winner of the election, the APC campaign team in Edo State rejected the election results, alleging discrepancies in the figures. However, a few days later, the Chairman of the APC Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Buni, met with Osagie Ize-Iyamu and urged him to accept the outcome of the election in good faith. The party, as well as President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated Governor Obaseki on his victory.

5 INEC Twitter Page: Retrieved on Wednesday, 23rd September 2020 from https://twitter.com/inecnigeria/ status/1308000156135165953?s=20

23 Resolution of Conflicts

The first runner up in the election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu expressed his intention not to challenge the outcome of the election at the Election Petition Tribunal, in order to maintain calm in the State, although he had his reservations on the conduct of the election. He however, stated that pending pre-election cases instituted by him and his party against Governor Obaseki and the PDP would be allowed to continue, just as the latter’s pre-election cases against him and his party are still before the courts.

On the other hand, the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal received a total of five petitions challenging the election of Governor Obaseki, at the end of the 21 days timeframe for filing election petitions. Political parties that have filed these petitions include the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Action Democratic Party (ADP).

24 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The conduct of the Edo State governorship election was largely violence free, in the light of the anxiety created by the political environment and the general state of affairs in Edo State ahead of the election. It was also indicative of a major improvement from the conduct of the Kogi and Bayelsa States governorship elections that raised serious questions for the future of Nigeria’s democracy. There was also noticeable progress in the roles of key election stakeholders such as INEC and security agencies. Situation Room commends this, as well as the roles of other stakeholders such as civil society groups and traditional rulers, in delivering a peaceful election in Edo State.

Following its observation of the Edo State governorship election, Situation Room makes the following recommendations:

INEC

· The electoral commission should build on the gains recorded, to further strengthen its processes in terms of timely commencement of polls, as well as deepen and expand the use of its Election Result Viewing portal in order to increase the transparency of Nigeria’s elections. · INEC and other Nigerian election stakeholders should work to ensure improved compliance with COVID-19 prevention protocols as provided by INEC, NCDC and other relevant health authorities. · Situation Room calls for a more effective enforcement of election laws that prohibit vote buying and other election offences.

25 SECURITY

Although security agents mostly conducted themselves in a professional manner, the incidents of vote buying went unchecked. It is important for security agents on election duty to devise ways of apprehending persons caught in this act, in future elections.

POLITICAL PARTIES Disruptions to the electoral process by political party actors was minimal. However, political parties should desist from vote buying and channel resources to carrying out voter education programmes and comprehensive campaigns, to garner the support of the electorate.

EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE ACTION Situation Room calls on the National Assembly to urgently proceed with legislative action to ensure the passage of the Electoral Offences Commission Bill, which creates a body to enforce respect for election laws, as well as other holistic electoral reforms.

26 APPENDIX

STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE SITUATION ROOM ON THE 2020 EDO GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

NIGERIA CIVIL SOCIETY SITUATION ROOM INTERIM STATEMENT ON EDO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION 2020

Issued: In Benin City at 2:00pm, Saturday, 19th September 2020 The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) is continuing to closely observe the on-going Governorship election in Edo State holding today, Saturday, 19th September 2020 and at this time will like to state as follows:

Logistics and commencement of Poll: Reports from the field show that materials arrived relatively on time in several of the polling units across the State especially Edo North and Central Senatorial Districts, with polls commencing at about 9:00am in most of the Polling Units (PUs). Situation Room observers however reported delays in opening of polls in several other locations, especially in Benin City comprising of Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba Okha Local Government Areas. For example, in three PUs in Ivbiore Primary School, Ekae/Ugbo, GRA/Etete in Oredo LGA, polls did not open until 10:35am due to late arrival of poll officials. Similarly, polling did not commence until about 12:00 noon in polling unit 9, ward 9 Uhunmwonde LGA.

There were a few reports of the malfunctioning of the smart card readers and failure to authenticate fingerprints which seemed to slow down the process in some polling units.

27 Compliance with Covid-19: Situation Room observed a widespread failure to comply with and enforce INEC guidelines on Covid-19 in the State. For example, voters and election workers were observed staying in clusters as against queuing up at the 28 PUs in the dilapidated buildings of the Ministry of Education, New Benin, Oredo LGA. Additionally, citing 28 PUs in those dilapidated buildings is a recipe for disaster. There was also a total disregard for the use of facemasks.

Situation Room commends INEC officials for giving priority to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and other vulnerable groups especially the elderly, even though most of the PUs were not accessibility to some categories of PWDs.

Conduct of security officials: At this time, Situation Room notes that there is a reasonable presence of security officials at most of the polling units we observed in the State.

Situation Room is however concerned about reports of security personnel invading the hotel housing leaders of a major political and restricting their movement in and out of the hotel. There is also the report of security personnel restraining staff of the election observer group and partner of Situation Room – YIAGA from accessing their Data Centre. These action on the part of the security is hereby condemned as an unacceptable infringement of the rights of citizens and citizens groups to participate and contribute to the electoral process.

Similar incident of security overreach was reported in Nigeria’s election during the Kogi State Governorship Election in 2019, and seems to be an emerging pattern of electoral abuse and interference by security agencies to undermine the electoral process. This trend, if allowed to continue, can be dangerous to Nigeria’s democracy for which many people lost their lives fighting for.

Vote Buying: Situation Room is also receiving reports of widespread vote buying by politicians and agents of political parties across the State. Reports of vote buying has occurred in about 55% of the PUs observed so far. For instance, in Ward 4 of Emotan College and Ministry of Education in New

28 Benin where there are 28 polling units both in Oredo LGA, voters are being induced with cash ranging up to N5,000. Electoral violence and activities of non-state armed groups: Despite the large presence of security officials in the State, Situation Room observers reported movement of thugs and intimidation of voters by a certain group without constraint or hindrance in many polling units within the State capital, Benin City - comprising of Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba Okha Local Government Areas.

Conclusion: There is a need for all stakeholders to give their best in this election. Situation Room is calling on political parties and their representatives to exercise restraint and respect the Peace Accord their Party and Candidates signed on Tuesday, 15th September 2020.

The Police, being the lead security agency, would need to assure the electorate as well as the general public by the conduct of its personnel that it will stand on the part of the law. As the polls come to an end, and collation processes are about to commence, we call on both INEC and the Police to ensure that the process is transparent and credible, as well as to ensure that the election is not ruined with violence. ------

SIGNED: Esther Uzoma Alternate Chair For: Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room

29 Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Young Innovators and Vocational Training Initiative, EdoCSOs, CONGOs Edo State, Brave Heart Initiative, Partners West Africa and several other CSOs numbering more than seventy. ------Contact information: Website: situationroom.placng.org Email:[email protected] Twitter: @situationroomng #NigeriaSituationRoom Facebook: Facebook.com/situationroomnigeria Hotlines: 09095050505, 09032999919

30 PRELIMINARY STATEMENT BY NIGERIA CIVIL SOCIETY SITUATION ROOM ON EDO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, 19TH SEPTEMBER 2020

Issued: 1:00pm, Friday, 18th September 2020 The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) has deployed 300 Observers for the Edo State Governorship election scheduled for Saturday, 19th September 2020. The Situation Room will be on ground in Edo State to receive reports from its partners and networks distributed across the 18 local government areas of the State.

Situation Room has received assurances from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force that they are fully prepared for the elections, with INEC assuring that logistics and deployment are fully under its control and the Police assuring that it will keep the security situation under check.

1. INEC and Election Administration: Situation Room expects an improved administration and management of the 2020 Edo State Governorship Election and will be holding INEC accountable to its promise and assurances of preparedness, and will look out for the following, as INEC administers the elections:

i. Early distribution and deployment of personnel; ii. Timely opening of poll; iii. Adherence to COVID-19 Protocols on Election day and INEC’s Guidelines for conducting elections during the pandemic; iv. Knowledge of procedures by personnel; v. Voting procedures particularly the efficacy of the Smart Card Readers; and vi. Transparent Collation process.

INEC has also expressed a commitment to proper management of the collation process for the election. Situation Room will be keeping a close eye on the collation process of this election with our observers deployed to all of the collation centres of the election.

31 Situation Room welcomes the continued use of the Smart Card Readers and the introduction of the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) Portal as an additional layer of accountability and transparency in this election. The Commission has reiterated that this portal will not be utilised for e-collation or voter authentication but will only serve as a platform for the upload of polling units’ results using the Z-Pads. Situation Room calls on INEC to ensure that this portal is available for this proposed use and to stand by its commitment to opening the portal to public view and not accepting results where violence or electoral malpractices occur. Situation Room commends INEC’s addition of new security features on its sensitive materials as a means of reducing potential interference with ballot papers and result sheets.

2. Security Agencies: Situation Room will like to commend the Inter-Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) on the development of a “Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement for Security Personnel on Election Duty”. In view of this document, Situation Room calls on all deployed security agencies and their personnel to abide by these guidelines and remain neutral in their conduct.

Situation Room has observed some level of hostility and unprofessional conduct of some policemen towards accredited media agents and observers during the distribution of election materials at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Office in Benin on Wednesday, 16th September 2020. Situation Room calls on the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force to call their men to order and enjoin them to be neutral and professional in their conduct.

Situation Room restates that by virtue of section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), the Police are the lead agency in election security and all other security agencies should take their lead from them. We further call on the Police Force to document evidence of violence, infractions and their perpetrators and share this information with INEC, in order to speedily bring offenders to book.

3. Political Parties: This election will take place against a very tense political environment characterised by hate speech and rhetoric. Already reports have been received of pre-election violence in some parts of the State, prominently in Akoko-Edo local government. Situation Room is concerned that the conduct of the political actors in the lead up to this election has raised fears of their

32 readiness to eschew violence. Situation Room wishes to remind the political actors of their commitment to the Peace Accord signed by the 14 candidates to guarantee a peaceful atmosphere before, during and after the elections. There is a moral and legal obligation to abide by this agreement and there will be consequences in this regard.

Situation Room calls on the parties to ensure their agents abide by INEC COVID-19 Guidelines as they participate in the electoral process.

Conclusion: Situation Room urges all eligible voters to come out freely to exercise their civic responsibility on Saturday, 19th September 2020 despite the rhetoric of violence. Situation Room enjoins that all voters abide by the health protocols issued by INEC and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for their personal safety and safety of persons around them.

Situation Room expects that INEC and indeed all stakeholders in the electoral process would have taken lessons from the challenges of the 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa Governorship Elections and work towards delivering a peaceful and credible Governorship Election in Edo State, especially in view of the fact that this is the first major election to be conducted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. ------

SIGNED: Esther Uzoma Alternate Chair For: Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room

33 Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Young Innovators and Vocational Training Initiative, EdoCSOs, CONGOs Edo State, Brave Heart Initiative, Partners West Africa and several other CSOs numbering more than seventy. ------Contact information: Website: situationroom.placng.org Email:[email protected] Twitter: @situationroomng #NigeriaSituationRoom Facebook: Facebook.com/situationroomnigeria Hotlines: 09095050505, 09032999919

34 NIGERIA CIVIL SOCIETY SITUATION ROOM SECOND INTERIM STATEMENT ON EDO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION 2020

Issued: In Abuja at 11:00am, Monday, 21st September 2020 The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) is issuing this statement following its observation of the Edo State Governorship election held on Saturday, 19th September 2020 from the commencement of polls to the collation of results.

General: The administration of the Edo State Governorship Election appears to have been a marked improvement on recent previous governorship elections. INEC’s processes appeared to operate smoothly. The logistics issues of distribution of materials, deployment of staff and challenges in the Voters’ Register were significantly reduced. In addition, security personnel acted professionally.

The usual issues cited such as logistical challenges and overbearing security presence were less of an issue in this election, although the challenge of vote buying/trading was still prevalent. This election was faced by a never before seen challenge of COVID-19 and efforts were made to ensure the safety of persons, although a lot more can be done to ensure compliance. This election showed that Nigeria can learn from previous setbacks in its electoral process and take a step towards achieving credible elections.

Election Administration: Situation Room observed delay in the opening of polls in most polling units, although this did not affect voting thereafter. There was early deployment of materials and officials across several polling units in the State. There were however reports of late commencement of voting in some polling units owing to late arrival of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In some cases, this was due to late arrival of security agents at Registration Area Centres (RACs) to escort election officials and materials to polling units, majorly in Edo South Senatorial District.

INEC introduced the use of a Result Viewing Portal to upload polling unit

35 results. This was a commendable action on the part of INEC and Situation Room commends it in its effort at transparency in the electoral process. However, a significant amount of results were yet to be uploaded, even at the time of collation, raising fears of possible political interference at some polling points.

There was an improved use of Smart Card Readers in the election, as they were widely deployed and utilised across the State. Isolated cases of card reader malfunctions observed were reported to have been rectified, with voting resuming soon afterwards.

Security Situation: On a general note, Situation Room commends the professionalism and conduct of the Police and some of the security agencies deployed for election duty. Reports received by Situation Room indicate that security personnel wore identification tags and intervened to resolve disruptions that arose in some voting locations.

Situation Room however received reports of some Nigerian military personnel harassing and intimidating citizens, including election observers and mounted roadblocks around the vicinity of collation centres in Edo North Senatorial District, firing gunshots and generally being disruptive of the work of election observers seeking to participate in the collation process.

Other incidents of security challenges were a few reports of intimidation of voters and snatching of ballot boxes by thugs in several polling units, including reports from Polling Unit (PU) 4, Ward 7 in Esan West Local Government, PU 2, Ward 7 in Etsako West Local Government and PU 28, Ward 10 in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government. A few other critical incidents of violence were reported, including the shooting of an INEC official in Etsako Central Local Government Area.

Voter Turnout: The voter turnout was low compared to numbers of collected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) registered for the election. This may have been caused by the rhetoric of violence perpetrated by the main candidates and their supporters ahead of election day. There may also have been a reduction in voter turnout caused by the prevailing public health concern of COVID-19. Vote Buying: The menace of vote trading which includes buying and selling

36 appears to be deepening in Nigeria’s elections. Politicians are increasingly investing monies to buy votes with voters appearing to be willing to sell their votes. In the Edo State election, this practice was widespread with all of the major political parties engaging in this infringement.

Compliance with COVID-19 Protocols: This was the first major election conducted in Nigeria since the outbreak of the novel COVID-19. Situation Room acknowledges that safety tools such as hand sanitizers, methylated spirit and cotton wool for card readers and infrared thermometers were widely provided but observed that the level of compliance with their use and general COVID-19 protocols were unsatisfactory, as safety measures were haphazardly implemented in some areas and ignored totally in other areas, especially as it relates to the use of mandatory use of facemasks and social distancing. Situation Room calls on INEC and the Nigerian election stakeholders to ensure improved compliance with health protocols as provided by INEC and relevant health authorities, especially as we move towards the Ondo State Governorship Election on October 10, 2020.

Conclusion Overall, the Edo State governorship election was violence free to the relief of stakeholders who had feared that the violence laden rhetoric of the election participants could pose a threat to peaceful elections. It is noteworthy that efforts at mediating peace and reducing political tension mounted by INEC, the Police, the National Peace Committee, the Benin Monarch, the Oba of Benin and civil society groups paid off. These peace efforts commend themselves to future elections. Situation Room commends INEC for introducing the COVID-19 protocols to address the public health concerns caused by the crisis of COVID-19 and urges a greater effort at enforcing the protocols ahead of future elections. The incidence of vote buying during this election was high. Situation Room calls for a more effective enforcement of election laws that prohibit vote buying and other election offences. Situation Room calls on the National Assembly to move quickly and urgently proceed with legislative action to ensure the passage of the Electoral Offences Commission Bill that creates a body to enforce respect for election laws. Situation Room calls on INEC to deepen and expand the use of its Election Result Viewing portal in order to increase the transparency of Nigeria’s elections.

37 Situation Room commends INEC for conducting a much improved governorship election in Edo State and urges the Commission to ensure that the progress made with improvements in its conduct of the election are deepened and sustained during the Ondo State Governorship Election scheduled for October 10, 2020.

------

SIGNED: Clement Nwankwo Convener Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room

The Situation Room is made up of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working in support of credible and transparent elections in Nigeria and includes such groups as Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), CLEEN Foundation, Action Aid Nigeria, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Proactive Gender Initiative (PGI), Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), CITAD, Enough is Enough Nigeria, WANGONET, Partners for Electoral Reform, JDPC and Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA). Others are Development Dynamics, Stakeholder Democracy Network, Human Rights Monitor, Reclaim Naija, Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE), CISLAC, The Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Young Innovators and Vocational Training Initiative, EdoCSOs, CONGOs Edo State, Brave Heart Initiative, Partners West Africa and several other CSOs numbering more than seventy. ------Contact information: Website: situationroom.placng.org Email:[email protected] Twitter: @situationroomng #NigeriaSituationRoom Facebook: Facebook.com/situationroomnigeria Hotlines: 09095050505, 09032999919

38 GALLERY

39 40

ABOUT PLAC hosts the secretariat of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and is a member of its steering committee. The Situation Room provides a co-ordinating platform for civil society engagement on governance issues. It is also a platform for information sharing among civil society groups working on elections and topical national issues. It intervenes in the electoral process by promoting collaboration, proactive advocacy and rapid response to crisis in the electoral process. The Situation Room provides a forum of advance planning, scenario building, evidence based analysis, constructive engagement with various stakeholders in the electoral process and observation of elections.

Situation Room Secretariat: c/o Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) Plot 451 Gambo Jimeta Crescent off Nasir El-Rufai Crescent via Gilmor Junction, Guzape District, Abuja, Nigeria

Telephone: 09095050505, 09032999919 web: http://situationroom.placng.org Facebook: facebook.com/situationroomnigeria Twitter: @situationroomng