‘Our candidate won’: PDP rejects Edo governorship election results

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, saying the party’s candidate in the state, Dr Asue Ighodalo, won the gubernatorial election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had, on Sunday, September 22, 2024, declared the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo, as the winner of the keenly contested election.

INEC said Okpebholo scored 291,667 votes, while Ighodalo polled 247,274 votes

Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) occupied the third position with 22,763 votes.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, September 23, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, said the results obtained from the Polling Units showed that Ighodalo won the gubernatorial election.

Damagum alleged that the election results were altered at the state collation centre in favour of the APC candidate.

He added that the PDP will explore all legal and democratic means to retrieve “the stolen mandate” of Ighodalo.

The PDP chairman said: “It is clear that our democracy is under threat. The 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.

Few things to know about Edo Governor-elect Monday Okpebholo

“You may recall that the PDP had on several occasions alerted of this sinister plot by the APC to subvert the election, the roles allegedly being played by AIG Zone 7, Benneth Igwe and Edo State Commissioner of Police CP Nemo Edwin-Iwo and the appointment of a known APC apologist and supporter, Dr Anugbum Onuoha, as the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).

“Several demands by our party for the redeployment of these officials as well as the release of all arrested PDP members and supporters fell on deaf ears and tend to validate PDP’s suspicion of a top-level conspiracy to rig the Edo State governorship election.

“As 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.”

Damagum, however, urged the people of Edo State to “remain resolute and undeterred as our party takes sure and firm steps to retrieve the mandate with every means legal and available in a democracy.”

The Star