The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially rejected the results of the Edo State Governorship election held on September 21, 2024, which saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, declared the winner.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Okpebholo as the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, who polled 247,274 votes, and Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata, who secured 22,763 votes.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, expressed the party’s dissatisfaction with the election outcome, claiming the process was compromised.
“The PDP unequivocally rejects the final result of the Edo State Governorship election as declared by INEC, as it did not meet the minimum standard for democracy. It failed to reflect the will and aspiration of the people in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, and INEC Guidelines for State Governorship Elections,” Damagum stated.
He further emphasized that the party would challenge the results in court, insisting that the actual votes cast at the polling units did not correspond with the final tally announced by INEC.
“We demand that INEC reviews the Edo State Governorship election results within the time stipulated by Section 65 of the Electoral Act, 2022, and announce only the genuine results obtained from the Polling Units,” he added.
Damagum accused the APC of collaborating with security agencies and INEC officials to manipulate the electoral process, stating, “Nigerians watched in horror as APC-compromised security operatives unleashed terror, arresting PDP members and paving the way for manipulation of the results.”
Despite these challenges, he urged the people of Edo State to remain steadfast, assuring them that their mandate would be defended in court.
“When asked about the party’s confidence in the judiciary, Damagum replied, ‘We will test the level of preparedness of the judiciary to deliver justice where it is needed. This election is a crucial test for Nigeria’s democracy.'”
The PDP has promised to pursue all available legal avenues to overturn what it described as “a brazen act of electoral theft” by the APC.
