Adetutu Sobowale
Claim
A viral video purported that INEC officials and the BVAS were abducted during the February 2023 general elections in Edo state.
Verdict
True! INEC officials and their equipment were abducted in Isiuwa ward 38 in Ovia NorthEast in Edo state during the February 25, election.
Full Text
A viral video purported that INEC officials and the BVAS were abducted during the February 2023 general elections in Edo state.
In the viral video, a woman was heard saying, ” they went away with the INEC officials and the BVAS. As you can see, there are ballot papers but no INEC officials nor BVAS and there is nothing.
“This is Isiuwa ward 38 in Ovia NorthEast. The PDP people have taken everything. They came with boys to fight with people.
Verification
To verify the claim, FactcheckElections contacted journalists covering the elections in Edo.
The journalist on the field who was present during the February 2023 general elections in Edo state, said it was true that INEC officials and their equipment were abducted during the elections.
“The video is true. And not only that, but there were also reports of violence in 5 different polling units that I can confirm.”
Conclusion
Based on the information provided by the journalist, it can be concluded that the claim made in the viral video that INEC officials and their equipment were abducted during the elections is TRUE but FactcheckElection could not confirm if the perpetrators were faithful to the People’s Democratic Party.