We would faceoff in court _ PDP challenges EDO electoral results

Moments 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) pledged to challenge the results in court, claiming their “stolen mandate.” This declaration followed comments from civil society group Yiaga Africa, which stated that the election failed to meet integrity standards, while the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) urged INEC to review its IReV uploads due to discrepancies.

PDP’s acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, made the party’s intentions clear during a briefing in Abuja, calling on Edo residents to stay resolute as they pursue legal avenues to reclaim their mandate.

Labour Party (LP) candidate Mr. Olumide Akpata criticized the election, describing it as a transaction rather than a democratic process. He mentioned that he has engaged lawyers for a forensic analysis of the results to determine his next steps.

INEC declared Okpebholo governor-elect after he secured 291,667 votes, compared to Dr. Asue Ighodalo of the PDP with 247,566 votes and Akpata with 22,763 votes.

While Okpebholo received congratulatory messages from various officials and stakeholders, the PDP expressed its commitment to testing the judiciary’s readiness to deliver justice in this situation. Meanwhile, LP’s presidential candidate from the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, condemned the events in Edo as state capture rather than a legitimate election. Yiaga Africa also reiterated that the electoral process failed to meet integrity criteria.

The CDD West Africa emphasized the need for INEC to reassess its Result Viewing Portal uploads due to issues like blurred results and over-voting, particularly in several local government areas. Damagum expressed hope for the judiciary to ensure justice, noting that a malfunctioning judicial system undermines the country itself.