ABUJA – Barely 48 hours after the Edo state governorship where Senator Monday Okpebholo, was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said it is heading to court to retrieve its mandate.
This is even as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje said they have succeeded in bringing Godwin Obaseki down.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the Acting National Chairman of PDP, Amb. Umar Damagum, charged the people of Edo State to remain resolute and undeterred as PDP takes sure and firm steps to retrieve the mandate with every means legal and available in a democracy.
Lamenting if Nigerians still have a country, while fielding questions from newsmen, Damagum said, “in this election, we shall still put to test once again the level of the preparedness of the judiciary to do justice where it is required.
So we cannot overrule a situation whereby justice will be dispensed but the most important thing is that we shall put them to more scrutiny before the eyes on Nigerians because they say that when the judicial system does now work, then you don’t have a country. I don’t know if we will still have a country.
He disclosed that it is clear that the nation’s democracy is under threat, adding that APC during the election connived with government-controlled agencies.
He said: “Edo State Governorship election was barefacedly compromised by the APC in collusion with unpatriotic security operatives and heavily procured officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who viciously trampled on the votes of the people in defiance of the Law and total disregard to the Sovereign Will of the people of Edo State.
“Nigerians and the world watched in horror as the APC-compromised security operatives and thugs unleashed terror, harass, arrest and detain PDP members and supporters, foisted siege mentality on the people and paved the way for APC agents and procured INEC officials to manipulate the ballot process, substitute genuine results from the Polling Units with fictitious figures and transferred the victory clearly won by our candidate, Asue Ighodalo to the defeated APC candidate, Monday Okpebholo.”
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Rejecting the result of the Edo governorship election, Damagum disclosed how the election was rigged in favour of the APC.
He said: “Nigerians already know, despite the violence, intimidation and manipulations by the APC, results obtained from the Polling Units show that our candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo clearly won the election before the figures were altered at the State collation exercise in favour of the defeated APC candidate.
“The PDP therefore unequivocally rejects the final result of the Edo State Governorship election as declared by INEC as it did not meet the minimum standard for democracy having not reflected the expressed Will and aspiration of the people in line with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 and INEC Guidelines for State Governorship election.
“The PDP demands that INEC within the time stipulated by Section 65 of the Electoral Act, 2022 review the Edo State governorship election and announce results only as obtained from the genuine votes cast at the Polling Units.”
The PDP, has, however, called on all Nigerians and lovers of democracy all over the world to stand up in solidarity with the people of Edo State in rejecting this assault on the democratic rights of the people as witnessed in the Edo State Governorship election.
Speaking while officially closing APC’s Situation Room for the governorship election, Dr. Ganduje said that defeating Obaseki was a huge task.
He added that the victory was a difficult one because the contest was against a sitting government.
He said “The Edo election victory was a difficult exercise because we were competing with a sitting government, who was one of our own.
“You know, the children of the same father but different mothers, when there’s a contest, it is always very keen. The fight continued until yesterday, we were able to bring him (Obaseki) down.”
