The United States Government has raised concerns over the credibility of the Edo State governorship election process, which led to the tribunal’s confirmation of Monday Okpebholo as governor.
While not directly overturning the tribunal’s ruling, the U.S. voiced strong objections to the election results collation, describing the process as flawed and lacking transparency.
The U.S. Mission in Nigeria cited reports from civil society organizations, such as the Kimpact Development Initiative, which highlighted disturbing findings. These included over 29,000 unaccounted ballots, over-voting in 382 polling units, and discrepancies in voter data across 141 polling units.
These issues were pointed out as reasons for the U.S. government’s concerns regarding the fairness of the election outcome. The Mission emphasized its commitment to continuing monitoring the appeal process.
Justice Wilfred Kpochi, who led the three-man panel at the tribunal, had dismissed the petition filed by Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ruling that Ighodalo failed to provide convincing evidence of electoral manipulation.
In its social media post, the U.S. Mission cast doubt on the reliability of the election and criticized what it called “serious lapses” in the collation process. The U.S. government reaffirmed its support for free and credible elections in Nigeria, stressing that transparency is vital for maintaining public trust in democratic institutions.
This marks the latest instance of the U.S. expressing dissatisfaction with Nigeria’s electoral processes. In the past, the U.S. has imposed visa bans on individuals linked to election irregularities.
Asue Ighodalo, who contested under the PDP, has vowed to appeal the tribunal’s decision, asserting that the election was manipulated in favor of Okpebholo, who has already been sworn in as governor.
The U.S. Mission in Nigeria is following the Edo election appeal process closely, particularly given civil society’s concerns about critical issues related to the election, such as ‘serious lapses in the collation process’ that were observed. [https://t.co/gQLvxbblkf]…
— U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USinNigeria) April 4, 2025
