The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on Yiaga Africa to cease its attempts to second-guess the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the results of the recent Edo State governorship election.

The APC criticised Yiaga Africa, an accredited civil society organization, for allegedly overstepping its election observation role.

In a statement signed by Felix Morka, National Publicity Secretary of APC on Tuesday stated, “INEC is the sole statutory authority for the conduct and declaration of result of the election. Yiaga Africa is not, and must desist from constituting itself into, a parallel agency for the declaration of election result.”

The party accused Yiaga Africa of claiming that election results were manipulated without providing substantial evidence, calling the approach a “clear disservice to the electoral process.”

The statement further described Yiaga Africa’s report as a “travesty,” asserting it is filled with “methodological flaws, politicized observations, inconsistencies, [and] inaccuracies,” which compromise its credibility.

The APC emphasised that “election observer missions are not election management agencies and cannot usurp INEC’s statutory authority as the sole election management body in Nigeria.”

While acknowledging that observer missions may share observations with INEC and the public, the APC insisted that declaring or second-guessing election results falls outside their mandate.

“Declaring or second-guessing the Edo state gubernatorial result based on unsubstantiated, unverified, highly questionable statistical parameters created by Yiaga Africa is designed to create unnecessary confusion,” the statement read.
The APC urged Yiaga Africa to refrain from associating itself with “the likes of Governor Godwin Obaseki and his illegal and sinister midnight invasion of INEC’s offices.”

The party framed the election results as a rejection of the Obaseki administration’s governance while endorsing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policies.

Expressing gratitude, the APC stated, “We reiterate our immense appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for ensuring a level playing field, to INEC for its professionalism, and to law enforcement agencies for their diligence and service during the election.”

The APC concluded by affirming the electoral outcome, stating that the people of Edo State clearly chose Senator Monday Okpebholo as their next governor. It invited any disputes or questions about the election to be addressed through the courts, adhering to electoral and constitutional norms.