Edo Guber: PDP rejects APC victory at Edo polls

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the results of the Edo State governorship election held on September 21, 2024, citing alleged irregularities and violations in the results collation process. The party, whose candidate Asue Ighodalo received 247,274 votes, has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding that all collations return to their designated venues.

Dr. Iyoha Tony, the PDP’s collation agent, stated in the petition that there was a “flagrant disregard” for the electoral process during the results collation. The party accused INEC of unlawfully moving the collation of results from designated locations to the state headquarters, which they claim facilitated manipulation of the results.

The petition emphasized that the failure to use the mandatory BVAS machine for voter accreditation in Edo North and the improper collation of results violated INEC’s regulations. Specific references were made to guidelines that mandate collation at designated locations, highlighting discrepancies between the number of accredited voters and the reported results, particularly in Estako West and Estako East LGAs.

The PDP has demanded an inquiry into the BVAS machine data from the affected areas and a return to proper collation venues. Meanwhile, INEC declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election.