The political landscape in Edo State has become increasingly contentious following the recent gubernatorial elections, with accusations flying between the ruling party and the opposition. A pro-democracy group has criticized the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), highlighting a comment made by a PDP member who placed a N5 million bet on national television, claiming the party would win the election. This act was deemed by critics as trivializing the serious aspirations of Edo residents, framing the election as a mere gamble.
The group further accused the PDP of overstepping its boundaries by attempting to usurp the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare election results. They expressed concern that the PDP was relying on the opinions of partisan groups masquerading as legitimate election observer organizations. According to the group, these so-called observers exceeded their role by publicly opposing the results declared by INEC, which should have been limited to monitoring the elections and offering recommendations.
Osaigbovo, a representative of the pro-democracy group, stated that INEC guidelines mandate the uploading of results to its Results Viewing Portal (iREV) once voting concludes. However, he alleged that the PDP began releasing its own results from its “Situation Room” as early as 10 a.m., before the last voter had finished casting their ballot. This, he argued, was an attempt to fabricate a predetermined outcome and could lead to post-election violence.
The group emphasized that the PDP’s claims were unfounded, noting that the results declared by INEC aligned with those available on the iREV. They also referenced a recent Supreme Court ruling which stated that INEC’s failure to electronically transmit results via the iREV did not impact the overall collation process. This ruling was pertinent in the context of previous election challenges brought by candidates from the Labour Party (LP) and the PDP, which contested the outcome of the February elections that affirmed Bola Tinubu’s presidency.
In summary, the tension between the PDP and the ruling party in Edo State continues to escalate as both sides navigate the complex aftermath of the gubernatorial elections, with accusations of misconduct and attempts to undermine electoral integrity dominating the discourse.
