HUNDREDS of members and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday protested the outcome of the September 21st governorship election, claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was compromised and failed to announce the results of the actual votes cast, which the party asserted it won.
The protesters carried placards with various anti–INEC and President Bola Tinubu inscriptions.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal stated it had yet to receive any petition from any political party contesting the election outcome. The Secretary of the Tribunal, Mu’azu Bagudu Esq., informed Vanguard that the petitioners have twenty days from the date the election results were announced to file their petitions.
The PDP protesters took over one lane of Aduwawa Road, opposite the INEC office, calling on the Commission to announce the “actual” results of the election.
Addressing the crowd opposite the gate of the Commission’s office, the Director General of the Asue/Ogie Governorship Campaign Council, Hon. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, stated, “INEC does not exist anymore; APC has destroyed INEC, and we will not allow this to stand. Many of us fought for democracy in this country; I was one of the first beneficiaries of democratic office in 1999. We stood against the annulment of June 12 and fought the military when Abacha wanted to succeed himself. Some people cannot claim to be democrats and want to turn this country into a dictatorial state. We will not accept it. The Edo people voted, and everyone who voted knows who they voted for; we all voted for Asue Ighodalo; he is our governor. A system where the REC of INEC here has one person writing results inside the office is not acceptable.”
He added that, although they lack confidence in the judiciary, they would take their grievances to the election tribunal.
Also speaking, the state chairman of the PDP, Hon. Tony Aziegbemi, stated that the party would have congratulated the winner if it had lost the election in a free and fair manner.
According to him, “The preliminary analysis we have done shows clearly that this election was won clean and clear by Asue Ighodalo. We will present that case to the tribunal; we believe the tribunal is made up of men of integrity, and they will look at those documents and come to the inevitable conclusion that PDP won the election. We are going there with an open mind.”
