Edo election: INEC official accepted $50,000 bribe from APC to manipulate results – Sources reveal

Edo election: INEC official accepted $50,000 bribe from APC to manipulate results – Sources reveal

Ann Aderibigbe, the Assistant Director of Electoral Operations at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja, has been accused of accepting a bribe of $50,000 from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the results of the recently concluded Edo governorship election.

According to a source close to the APC, Aderibigbe was promised not only a substantial cash sum but also a double promotion to the position of her current boss, the Director of Electoral Operations.

“This is a grave matter that compromises the integrity of the electoral commission,” the source stated, requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the allegations.

He said: “The APC was desperate to secure a favourable outcome in the Edo elections and believed that manipulating the results was their best chance. They thought they could achieve this by corrupting key officials within INEC.”

The Edo governorship election, held on September 21, 2024, had already faced scrutiny over claims of overvoting and discrepancies in the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

Observers from various civil society organizations had raised concerns regarding the credibility of the results, with allegations of inflated vote counts and inadequate transparency in the collation process.

The allegations against Aderibigbe are particularly troubling, as they point to a systematic effort by the APC to undermine the electoral process.

As the dust settles from the Edo governorship election, the implications of the allegations will be felt across the political landscape.

Should Aderibigbe’s involvement in bribery and manipulation be substantiated, it could lead to calls for sweeping reforms within INEC and a renewed focus on safeguarding electoral integrity in Nigeria.