The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is back at it again, rejecting the outcome of another election, this time, the Edo State governorship poll. Their latest outcry is the usual: rigging allegations.
On Monday, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, took to the stage in a press conference to deliver what felt like a rerun of previous complaints. His message? The PDP is going to use every “legal and democratic” method available to snatch back the “stolen mandate” of their candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
INEC declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner. Okpebholo reportedly scored 291,667 votes, leaving Ighodalo with a less-than-victorious 247,274. Bringing up the rear was Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) with 22,763 vote, clearly not in the game. But, of course, for the PDP, these numbers are just numbers, and they are adamant that the true will of the people was “trampled on.”
According to Damagum, the APC and the government-controlled agencies “connived” to ensure the PDP candidate’s defeat.The allegations are always the same, with the APC allegedly using “unpatriotic security operatives” and “heavily procured INEC officials” to trample on the people’s votes. We should all be used to this by now, elections in Nigeria just wouldn’t feel complete without accusations of a compromised process.
The PDP’s Acting National Chairman went on to call the entire election “barefacedly compromised” and declared that democracy itself is “under threat.” He didn’t stop there. He reminded us all that the PDP had, on many occasions, sounded the alarm on this “sinister plot.”
Now, let’s not forget the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) appointed for Edo State, Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, whom Damagum labeled an APC supporter. Of course, the PDP demanded his redeployment and nothing happened. Damagum also hinted that a top-level conspiracy was afoot, involving the likes of AIG Zone 7 Benneth Igwe and Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Nemo Edwin-Iwo.
Despite all this “violence, intimidation, and manipulation,” Damagum insists the real results show that the PDP’s candidate, Ighodalo, won—until, of course, those evil APC conspirators stepped in and altered the figures. The PDP, being ever so principled, outright rejected the final results, claiming they don’t meet the “minimum standard for democracy” because they don’t reflect “the will and aspiration of the people.” Ah yes, democracy, if we don’t win, it’s rigged.
Now, the PDP demands that INEC do what’s right (in their eyes, at least). They want INEC to review the results, as per Section 65 of the Electoral Act, 2022, and announce the “genuine” results that supposedly exist somewhere out there. According to them, only results from the polling units should be accepted. How convenient.
