Edo Guber: We’ll Meet In Court To Retrieve Our ‘Stolen Mandate’ – PDP Tells APC, INEC

Hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the Edo State governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has vowed to go to court to retrieve its “stolen mandate.”

PDP acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, who announced the party’s position at a briefing in Abuja, said the party’s candidate won the election but the result was manipulated in favour of the APC candidate.

“In this election, we shall once again test the level of preparedness of the judiciary to deliver justice where it is needed. Therefore, we cannot rule out a situation where justice will be dispensed, but the most important thing is that we shall subject them to greater scrutiny in the eyes of Nigerians. They say that when the judicial system does not work, then you don’t have a country. I don’t know if we will still have a country,” he said.

He charged Edo people “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 PDP chairman while asking INEC to review the results of the election, said, “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,” he said.

Damagun alleged that the APC compromised the security operatives and used thugs who harassed and detained PDP members and supporters to pave the way for the manipulation of the process.

“Nigerians and the world watched in horror as the APC-compromised security operatives and thugs unleashed terror, harassed, arrested and detained PDP members and supporters, foisted siege mentality on the people, 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.

“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,” he said.

Mr Damagun called on residents of Edo State to reject the results declared by INEC.

“The PDP calls 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.”

Governor Godwin Obaseki, also a member of the PDP, had earlier rejected the result of the poll and urged the aggrieved party to challenge the outcome in court.

According to INEC, Mr Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes while Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate scored a total of 247,274 votes to become second. The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Olumide Akpata, came third with 22,763 votes.