Tension is building ahead of Saturday’s bye-elections in Edo and Kaduna States, as opposition parties and election observers accuse the ruling party of plotting to manipulate the process.

In a statement on Friday, the Coalition of Observer Groups in Nigeria said it had received “credible reports” of plans to tamper with the Edo Central Senatorial and Ovia Federal Constituency elections.

Coalition chairman, Comrade Simon Diogu, warned that tactics allegedly used during the September 2024 Edo governorship election — such as writing results before voting, locking opposition agents out of collation centres, and using security forces to intimidate voters — could be repeated.

“The September election left a crisis of confidence because allegations of duplicate results and questionable collation were never addressed by INEC,” Diogu said.

A senior PDP member in Edo, speaking anonymously, alleged that results were already being prepared and that police units would be deployed to block opposition access to collation centres. He also expressed concern over the transfer of two controversial INEC officials from Rivers State, claiming they played questionable roles in last year’s polls.

In Kaduna, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) levelled similar accusations, alleging that about 4,000 thugs had been recruited to disrupt polling in Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency and other state constituencies. They also accused some senior INEC officials of taking bribes.

Opposition parties and observers in both states are calling on INEC to remove suspected biased officials, ensure transparent collation, and protect voters as well as party representatives.

So far, neither the APC nor the affected state governments have responded to these allegations.