The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the outcome of the governorship election in Edo State, which saw Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) declared the winner.
The election, held on Saturday, resulted in Okpebholo securing 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes, and Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata, who came third with 22,763 votes.
Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, leading the PDP’s campaign in Edo, criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing it of violating the Electoral Act.
Fintiri claimed that the true results, as gathered by PDP’s agents, showed Ighodalo as the clear winner before the APC allegedly altered the results with the help of some INEC officials.
The PDP stated that they will stand by the results obtained from polling units across the state, asserting that their candidate was ahead before the results were tampered with.
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In a statement, PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba said the party has proof of APC’s manipulation of the results and called on INEC to release the accurate figures reflecting the will of the people.
“The rush, venom, and hauling of insults with which the All Progressives Congress attacked Governor Fintiri only confirms APC’s violent desperation to cover its manipulations and steal the mandate freely given to Dr. Asue Ighodalo by the people of Edo State as reflected in the genuine votes cast at the Polling Units,” Ologunagba stated.
The PDP Governors Forum, led by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, also condemned the result, urging INEC to maintain its role as an impartial umpire and respect the people’s wishes. They warned that announcing manipulated results could threaten democracy, especially given the current economic and security challenges in the country.
At the collation centre, PDP’s state agent, Iyoha Osaigbovo, also rejected the announced figures, accusing INEC of assigning votes to the APC.
However, Jarrett Tenebe, acting APC chairman in Edo, dismissed the claims, asserting that the APC had strong support in the state, especially in Edo North, where they secured a significant win.
The Labour Party’s spokesperson, Sam Uruopa, indicated that the party was reviewing the election results and would soon announce their stance.
Meanwhile, PDP youths held a protest at INEC’s office in Edo, claiming the results were falsified.
Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, urged citizens to remain calm and avoid violence. He criticized the election outcome but called for peace, stating that justice would prevail in the end.
