A Nigerian civil society organization, TAP Initiative, has filed a petition with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), demanding the prosecution of officials involved in alleged malpractice during the recent governorship election in Edo State.
The petition calls for an investigation into some of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s adhoc staff, whom the group accuses of forgery and other irregularities.
Speaking to journalists after submitting the petition at ICPC’s headquarters in Abuja, TAP Initiative’s Executive Director, Martin Obono, expressed disappointment in INEC, alleging that the electoral body has enabled electoral fraud rather than safeguarding the election process.
He claimed that his organization discovered inconsistencies in the Certified True Copies (CTC) of the election results, which showed a lack of required signatures from polling agents and presiding officers.
Obono stated that TAP Initiative engaged a forensic expert from South Africa to analyze the documents. The expert’s findings, he said, revealed manipulation of election forms at collation centers, with evidence suggesting that a single person signed multiple forms, some with identical serial numbers but different results.
The CSO also threatened to seek international support to halt foreign funding for Nigeria’s elections, should the ICPC fail to act on its petition.
Obono emphasized that his group will escalate the issue to the United Kingdom, United States, European Union, and other international bodies, claiming INEC has “taken over rigging from politicians.”
TAP Initiative further criticized INEC’s recent apology over election conduct, with Obono stating that “an apology does not erase criminality committed against the people.” The group insists that all officials involved in alleged election tampering be held accountable.
