{"id":115448,"date":"2024-12-01T05:12:40","date_gmt":"2024-12-01T04:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=115448"},"modified":"2024-12-01T05:12:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-01T04:12:40","slug":"edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/","title":{"rendered":"Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"m#msg-f:1817176377446641448\" class=\"mail-message expanded\">\n<div class=\"mail-message-header spacer\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">The September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State has become a lightning rod for controversy, as Osita Chidoka, former Minister of Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership, has leveled allegations against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).<\/div>\n<div id=\"m#msg-f:1817176377446641448-content\" class=\"mail-message-content collapsible zoom-normal mail-show-images \" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"clear\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">\nSpeaking on Channels Television\u2019s Politics Today with Seun Okinbaloye, Chidoka presented what he described as incontrovertible evidence of systemic rigging orchestrated by INEC to favor the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).<\/p>\n<p>According to Chidoka, the Athena Centre\u2019s analysis of the election results revealed significant discrepancies, including a mismatch between the number of accredited voters recorded by presiding officers at polling units and the figures reported by INEC\u2019s BVAS backend. He claimed that while polling unit records showed 580,000 accredited voters, INEC\u2019s backend inflated the figure to 687,000, adding more than 100,000 votes in 798 polling units. Chidoka described this as clear evidence of backend tampering and a deliberate effort to manipulate the outcome.<\/p>\n<p>He also pointed to discrepancies between the certified true copies of polling unit results issued by INEC and the results uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV). These irregularities, he alleged, suggest the use of duplicate result sheets containing fabricated figures to skew the election.<\/p>\n<p>Chidoka\u2019s findings further highlighted that 11,665 votes were subtracted from the PDP\u2019s tally during ward collation, while 32,284 votes were added to the APC\u2019s total.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe evidence of systemic rigging is so substantial that we cannot even recognize this as a valid election,\u201d he said. Chidoka warned that allowing the flawed results to stand would set a dangerous precedent, making credible elections impossible in 2027.<\/p>\n<p>Chidoka also raised concerns about over-voting, missing results, and the manipulation of BVAS records at INEC\u2019s headquarters. He expressed dismay at what he described as the erosion of public trust in the electoral process, stating, \u201cThe BVAS machines, previously hailed as the gold standard for election integrity, were remotely manipulated by INEC. This revelation completely betrays public trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The former minister called for urgent reforms to address systemic flaws in Nigeria\u2019s electoral process, including auditing ballot papers before announcing results, transitioning to electronic voting, depoliticizing electoral appointments, and enacting stricter laws to punish electoral malpractice. He also criticized INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu\u2019s leadership, joining other prominent voices, such as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in calling for his immediate replacement.<\/p>\n<p>He urged the courts to rise to the occasion and correct what he described as the worst election ever conducted by INEC. \u201cIf this flawed result stands, rest assured there will be no credible election in 2027,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n<p>Osita Chidoka then announced his resignation from the PDP, to enable him focus fully on fighting for electoral reform without being hamstrung by the toga of partisanship. \u201cNothing else is as important to me right now as the defense of our democracy\u201d, he stated.<\/p>\n<p>The allegations against INEC come as Nigeria prepares for future elections, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the country\u2019s democratic institutions. For many observers, the question is whether the judiciary will act decisively to restore public confidence or allow doubts about the electoral process to fester further. Watch video here.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mail-message-footer spacer collapsible\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State has become a lightning rod for controversy, as Osita Chidoka, former Minister of Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging - Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State has become a lightning rod for controversy, as Osita Chidoka, former Minister of Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-01T04:12:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Osita-Chidoka.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"267\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"headline\":\"Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-01T04:12:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/\"},\"wordCount\":528,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Osita-Chidoka.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/\",\"name\":\"Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging - Pointblank News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Osita-Chidoka.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-01T04:12:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Osita-Chidoka.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Osita-Chidoka.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":267},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\",\"name\":\"Pointblank News\",\"description\":\"Just the news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\",\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Our Reporter\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging - Pointblank News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging - Pointblank News","og_description":"The September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State has become a lightning rod for controversy, as Osita Chidoka, former Minister of Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre for&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/","og_site_name":"Pointblank News","article_published_time":"2024-12-01T04:12:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":400,"height":267,"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Osita-Chidoka.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Our Reporter","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Our Reporter","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/"},"author":{"name":"Our Reporter","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"headline":"Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging","datePublished":"2024-12-01T04:12:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/"},"wordCount":528,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Osita-Chidoka.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/","name":"Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging - Pointblank News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Osita-Chidoka.jpg","datePublished":"2024-12-01T04:12:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Osita-Chidoka.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Osita-Chidoka.jpg","width":400,"height":267},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-2024-chidoka-accuses-inec-of-systemic-rigging\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Edo 2024: Chidoka accuses INEC of systemic rigging"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/","name":"Pointblank News","description":"Just the news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c","name":"Our Reporter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Our Reporter"},"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}