The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the recent Edo State governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the election outcome, vowing to seek legal redress.
Ighodalo, who finished second with 247,274 votes, lost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo, who garnered 291,667 votes.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Ighodalo alleged that the election was marred by irregularities, claiming his mandate was stolen with the aid of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). According to him, there was a failure to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in over 160 polling units, coupled with improper collation procedures at both ward and state levels.
Ighodalo also accused INEC, the police, and the APC of conspiring to suppress the will of Edo State voters. “We did not buy votes; the PDP refrained from such tactics, unlike the APC, which offered cash to voters ranging from N25,000 to N50,000,” he claimed.
Regarding his next course of action, Ighodalo made it clear that he intends to challenge the result in court. “I will go into the courts and the tribunal to reclaim our mandate. The people of Edo gave me their mandate freely, and we intend to form the government after proving this in court,” he stated.
He also dismissed Okpebholo’s offer of friendship, noting, “Because the mandate is stolen, there is no way you can accept these hands of fellowship or friendship. I stand with the people of Edo State, and I will fight for what is rightfully ours.”
The Labour Party candidate, Olumide Akpata, finished third in the election with 22,763 votes.
