Toba Owojaiye reporting
Lokoja, Kogi State
Discrepancies in the recent off-season governorship elections in Kogi State have been exposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Results Viewing (IReV) portal.
These irregularities surfaced when comparing data from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) with figures in the manual electoral result sheets. Notable differences were found in various polling units within Okene, Adavi, and Okehi local government areas.
For example, at the Ohiana Farm Settlement polling unit in Onyukoko Ward, IReV displayed 202 accredited voters, while the manual result sheet recorded 535 accredited voters with 530 valid votes. Similar disparities were identified in other units, with significant gaps between IReV’s figures and those documented in the manual result sheets.
Despite these discrepancies, INEC defended itself, explaining that accreditation figures may not be finalized until synchronization is completed from the election devices. Nonetheless, the highlighted inconsistencies by the IReV portal have raised concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the electoral process in Kogi State.
This situation could trigger further scrutiny and calls for measures to safeguard the integrity of future electoral processes in the region.
