The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, which saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, declared the winner.
Okpebholo secured 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.
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, who chaired the Edo State Governorship Election National Campaign Council for the PDP, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of violating the Electoral Act and manipulating the results. He insisted that Ighodalo was the rightful winner.
The PDP won in eight of the state’s 18 Local Government Areas, while the APC claimed victory in 10. However, the PDP, supported by its Governors Forum, maintained that Ighodalo had won the election, based on polling unit results.
In a statement on Sunday, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba backed Fintiri’s claims, stating that the results from the polling units showed Ighodalo leading before the collation process was allegedly hijacked. Ologunagba accused the APC of working with corrupt INEC and security officials to alter and substitute genuine results.
“The PDP stands by the results obtained by our polling agents across the state, which indicate that Dr. Asue Ighodalo clearly won the election,” the party stated. “The rush and insults from the APC toward Governor Fintiri only confirm their desperation to cover up their manipulation and steal the mandate freely given to Ighodalo by the people of Edo State.”
The PDP Governors Forum, led by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, also criticized INEC, calling for the commission to fulfill its role as an impartial umpire. The governors urged INEC to announce results that accurately reflect the will of the people of Edo.
In a statement, the forum warned that the APC’s actions could threaten the country’s democracy, given the current economic and security challenges. “INEC must respect the sovereign wishes of the Edo people and avoid the unpredictable consequences of a disputed election result,” the statement read.
The PDP Governors Forum reaffirmed its commitment to upholding democratic principles and called for peace and stability, expressing support for the actions taken by its governors, including Ahmadu Fintiri and Douye Diri of Bayelsa, to defend the integrity of the election.
