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The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, on Monday, filed a petition to challenge the outcome of the September 21 governorship election in the state.
The State Chairman of the party, Tony Aziegbemi, who disclosed this at a press conference in Benin, noted that the party was able to beat the deadline for filing an appeal on Saturday, against all odds.
The Edo State governorship election held on September 21, 2024, produced the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Monday Okpebholo, as the winner of the election, polling 291,667 votes to defeat Ighodalo Asue Ighodalo of the PDP, who garnered 247,274 votes.
Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party and other contestants trailed in the poll.
After the declaration of Okpebholo as the winner, the PDP accused the Independent National Electoral Commission and the APC of attempts to frustrate its right to contest the election result at the tribunal, as it cited irregularities and disparities in the election results.
The APC has, however, mocked the PDP for the petition, saying that the party did not have an existing mandate.
Last week, both the PDP and APC members besieged the secretariat of the party in Benin, with claims and counter-claims of attempts to distort election materials.
Aziegbemi assured members and supporters of the party that they would reclaim their “stolen mandate” and called on the Edo people to remain hopeful, as no amount of hindrance would prevent it from winning the case.
“We have filed our petition before the election petitions tribunal on your behalf. I assure you that the journey to reclaim our mandate has begun and, by the grace of God, your mandate will be retrieved.
“Despite INEC’s (being the political wing of the APC) attempt to deny us full complements of our request for CTC of all electoral materials, we were still able to do the needful.”
Aziegbemi also denied that the PDP disrupted the inspection of electoral materials at the INEC office.
He added, “How did PDP disrupt the inspection of materials at the INEC office? In whose interest is the disruption? We applied to the court for inspection, the court granted us an enrolled order to inspect. Why would we want to disrupt the process?”
Aziegbemi, who disclosed that more members of the party had been arrested after the election, added that those arrested over the killing of Inspector Akor Onuh had been released after bail payment.
He added: “You will recall that the police were arresting our members on the false allegation of killing SP Akor. Amazingly, more arrests have been made after the election.
“How low can the police go under this patently biased IGP that seems to be heading the armed wing of the APC?”
Reacting, The Publicity Secretary of the APC, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie has said that the PDP do not have an existing mandate which was stolen, noting that they should talk less as they cannot be a party in a case and at the same time giving judgement. the APC, in a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, said, “The PDP does not have any existing mandate that was stolen. Is it not an existing mandate that they steal?
“It is the Independent National Electoral Commission that conducts and announces the winner of an election in the country. It is the same INEC that announced the APC as the winner of the September 21 governorship election in the state.
“When did they get the mandate that was stolen? Where did the get the votes that gave them the mandate they are talking about?
“They need to keep quiet now because the case is sub judice. They have gone to court. They cannot be a party in a case and be giving judgement in their matter.
“They should let the tribunal do its jobs, to say who won and who did not. We will meet them headlong in court.”
The party has, however, named a former Edo State Deputy Governor, Pius Odubu, to lead the transition committee team.
Other members are Matthew Urhoghide, Pastor Osagie Ize-lyamu, Andrew Adaze Enwanta, Washington Osifo, Nosa Adams, Omosede Igbinedion, Paul Ohonbamu, Edo Omorogieva, Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, Taiwo Akerele, Godwin Eshieshie, and Yakson Musa
Also included in the last are are Kazeem Afegbua, Ohio Omo-Ezomo, Gani Audu, Dr. Aminu Imafidon, Prof Oyaziwo Aluede, Prof. Eunice Omonzejie, Matthew Egbadon, Dr Tony Ikpasaja, Felix Akhabue, Kingsley Ehigiamusor and Dr Frank Omoh.
This was contained in a letter by acting chairman of the APC, Jarrett Tenebe, made available to journalists in Benin.
Meanwhile, a pro-democracy group has urged the PDP and its candidate, Ighodalo, to accept the outcome of the governorship poll.
The Executive Director of the Initiative for Democratic Advancement and Free Speech, Patrick Osaigbovo, appealed in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday.
Osaigbovo lamented that in the wake of its loss, the PDP had increased its onslaught on institutions of the Nigerian state, from INEC to security agencies.
“Such onslaughts are a carryover of its pre-election strategy of using crass propaganda to attempt to intimidate state institutions and pull a wool over the faces of the electorate.
“As a governance advocacy group committed to deepening Nigeria’s electoral democracy, we daresay that the PDP, through its actions and or inactions, lost the people even before the election.
“By INEC guidelines, results are to be uploaded to its Results Viewing Portal iREV when the last person on the line finishes voting.
“However, the PDP began churning out its own results from its so-called ‘Situation Room’ as early as 10 am, purporting them to be from the iReV.
“Churning out results from units where voters were still on the queue was only meant to serve a predetermined outcome and therefore set the stage for post-election violence in the state,” he said.
Reacting, the Deputy Director-General of Media in the PDP Campaign Council, Olu Martins, dismissed the plea.
Martins also debunked the insinuation that the party was sponsoring some election observers, describing the insinuation as baseless.
He said, “The allegations are baseless. The election observers are not new guys in the system. They have been observing election processes.
“We should improve our electoral system. Many of the observers concluded that the processes were free and fair at the units,” he said.
