The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has vowed to take legal steps to reclaim its “stolen mandate.”
The PDP stated this sequel to the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as winner of Edo State governorship election
The position of PDP came on a day one of the civil society groups that monitored the election, Yiaga Africa, said the election failed integrity test, just as the Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD, asked INEC to review its IReV uploads amid discrepancies.
PDP acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, announced the party’s position at a briefing in Abuja, charging 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 stance came as Labour Party, LP, candidate, Mr. Olumide Akpata, who dismissed Saturday’s poll as a transaction and democratic sacrilege by the APC and PDP, said he has submitted the results to lawyers for forensic analysis, which would inform his next step.
INEC had on Sunday night, returned Okpebholo as governor-elect after polling 291,667 votes, against Dr Asue Ighodalo of the PDP’s 247,566 votes and Akpata’s 22,763 votes.
On a day Okpebholo got tons of greetings on his victory from the Federal Executive Council, FEC; governors and some stakeholders, the PDP said it would once again test “the level of the preparedness of the judiciary to do justice where it is required.”
Similarly, the presidential candidate of LP in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, said what transpired in Edo was state capture, not election, with Yiaga Africa saying the exercise failed integrity test.
Also, the Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa, CDD, urged INEC to review uploads on its Result Viewing Portal, IreV, due to discrepancies in the governorship election results.
The advice came on the heels of observers reporting issues such as blurred results, over-voting, and upload discrepancies, especially in Ovia North-East, Esan West, Ikpoba/Okha, Orhionmwon and Uhunmwonde local government areas.
Why we’ll go to court – PDP
Damagum, who said the PDP expected the judiciary to ensure justice in the matter, said: “We cannot overrule a situation where justice will be dispensed but the most important thing is that we shall put them to more scrutiny before the eyes of Nigerians because they say 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.”
Earlier, the PDP acting national chairman expressed a deep sense of burden and serious concern for Nigeria’s democracy and its political stability, following what he described as the use of state institutions and instruments of coercion, to undermine the electoral process.
He said, “From unfolding political events in the country, the latest being the brazen rigging of Saturday, September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in connivance with government-controlled agencies, it is clear that our democracy is under threat.
“As you know and widely reported in all segments of the media, the 2024 Edo State governorship election was compromised in barefaced manner by the APC, in collusion with unpatriotic security operatives and heavily procured officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, 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.
“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 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 tended to validate PDP’s suspicion of a top-level conspiracy to rig Edo State governorship election.
“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 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.
“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 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 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 election.
“The people of Edo State clearly chose Dr. Asue Ighodalo as the next governor of their state and only their will as expressed at the polling units must be allowed to stand.”