President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent congratulatory messages to his party’s All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, who has been declared winner in the Edo State governorship election of Saturday.
However, protesting the result, the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, appealed to residents of the state to remain calm over the outcome, while the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Adamawa State’s Governor Ahmadu Fintiri condemned the governorship election.
In a statement released on Sunday September 22, Fintiri said he wept for Nigeria’s democracy, describing the exercise as shameful.
INEC declared APC’s Monday Okpebholo as the winner of the election. According to the electoral commission, Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who got 247,274 and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) who came a distant third in the race with 22,761 votes.
TINUBU
Tinubu spoke in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The statement said: ‘’President Tinubu commends APC national leaders, Edo State leaders, and party governors for working hard to achieve victory. He says the victory testified to the people’s support for the ruling party, its progressive ideals, its economic reengineering programme and its commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians.
Urging Senator Okpebholo not to gloat over his victory, Tinubu told counselled him to see it as a call to service.
“The President urges all those aggrieved by the election outcome to seek redress through the legal channels,” the statement said. “In addition, the president commends the people of Edo State for their orderly and peaceful conduct during the election, underscoring the maturing of Nigeria’s democracy after 25 years.”
President Tinubu also commended INEC and the security agencies for working round the clock to conduct a successful, peaceful and largely hitch-free exercise.
OBASEKI
Reacting to the outcome of the election, Obaseki in a statement released, said the election was marred with disregard to processes and rule of law. He urged aggrieved persons to explore the legal options to express their reactions.
The statement reads: “In the last few months, the various political parties have embarked on very rigorous campaigns to sell their respective candidates for the office of governor to the people of Edo State in an exercise which came to a climax yesterday with the gubernatorial election.
“The attractive thing about democracy is the power it bestows on the people to choose who governs them. Therefore, when this power is blatantly seized from the people, it is not just a tragedy, but a travesty of democracy.
“Regrettably, the outcome of the September 21st governorship election appears to have daunted the spirit of many Edo people who feel powerless in the face of the brute force of the institutions that are supposed to protect them. It is therefore understandable that many people feel sad and aggrieved.
“But in the midst of this despair, I am urging all my fellow Edo citizens to maintain calm and not resort to violence and destruction of property in spite of this provocation.
“Peace and justice will always win at the end and this is my prescription to all the good people of Edo State who feel vexed and violated at this time.
“Clearly, it is obvious to the least discerning, the amount of impunity and reckless disregard for processes and law that was displayed in this gubernatorial election
“In a democracy, there are safeguards for addressing grievances, and we hope that those affected will seek resolution for this blatant disregard of law and process.
“With this in mind, I implore all Edo people to go about their lawful businesses and rest assured of the commitment of our government to your wellbeing and security.”
FINTIRI
“I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo Gubernatorial poll. The APC’s desperate attempts to discredit me by falsely claiming I announced results won’t distract from the real issue. I merely shared results from INEC’s Irev portal, as collated by INEC from the various Local Government Areas,” Fintiri said.
“What’s truly shameful is APC’s national chairman flying into Edo with a private jet on election day, defying movement restrictions, while their Governors used armoured escorts to intimidate voters.
“This blatant disregard for democratic norms is the real brigandage. Nigerians are outraged, slamming INEC for compromising and favoring APC. The reported vote-buying, disruption of collation processes, and suspicious results with more votes than accredited voters undermine trust in our democracy. Democracy indeed is under attack.
“We must condemn this rape of democracy and demand accountability. The world is watching, and Nigeria deserves better.”
