PDP Plans Legal Battle Against APC and INEC to Regain Electoral Mandate
Less than a day after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Edo State governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said it would go to court to reclaim what it calls its “stolen mandate.”
The PDP’s announcement came after a civil society group, Yiaga Africa, reported that the election lacked integrity. The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) also asked INEC to check its result uploads due to inconsistencies.
PDP’s acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, urged Edo residents to stay strong while the party takes legal steps to reclaim the election results. Meanwhile, Labour Party candidate Mr. Olumide Akpata criticized the election as a “transaction” rather than a fair vote and said he would seek legal advice on the results.
INEC declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes, while PDP’s Dr. Asue Ighodalo received 247,566 votes, and Akpata got 22,763 votes. While Okpebholo received congratulations from many leaders, the PDP questioned the fairness of the election and called for scrutiny of the judiciary’s role.
Damagum expressed concern about the state of Nigeria’s democracy, alleging that the APC used government resources to rig the election. He pointed out previous warnings about potential election fraud and emphasized that the true votes indicated Ighodalo won, but results were altered in favor of Okpebholo.
Akpata echoed these concerns, labeling the election as a corrupt transaction facilitated by those who did not participate. He expressed disappointment in some of his party members who allegedly accepted bribes for their votes.
Yiaga Africa stated that the election process failed the integrity test, highlighting issues in the results collation that allowed for manipulation.
The CDD also reported incidents of violence during the voting and called for an investigation into vote-buying practices. They observed that while the election had some peaceful aspects, voter turnout was low, and there were issues with technology used for the process.
Leaders from the APC praised the election results, claiming it was a testament to the progress of democracy in Nigeria. They encouraged Okpebholo to govern inclusively.
Peter Obi from the Labour Party described the election as a “state capture” rather than a legitimate election, warning that flawed leadership processes threaten the nation’s future.
Chief Dele Momodu, a PDP figure, expressed surprise that anyone expected the APC to lose the election, pointing out the prevalence of corruption among key political figures in both parties.
