Politics
Edo PDP Leaders Protest Election Theft At INEC Office
Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, including Chairman Anthony Aziegbemi, Director General of the governorship campaign council, Mathew Iduoriyekemwen, and Deputy Director General (Media and Publicity) Rev. Olu Martins on Wednesday led a protest to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Aduwawa.
The protest was held to express their dissatisfaction with the outcome of the recent governorship election.
The protesters carried various placards demanding that INEC return what they described as the stolen mandate of the Edo people. They called for the announcement of Dr. Asue Ighodalo, the PDP governorship candidate in the September 21st election, as the authentic winner.
The protest disrupted traffic for several hours near Ramat Park on the busy Auchi-Benin expressway. Hundreds of protesters sang solidarity songs while police monitored the situation to ensure the safety of the INEC office.
Addressing the crowd, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi stated that the purpose of the protest was to inform the public that INEC altered the election results, claiming that the PDP had actually won. He urged INEC to declare Dr. Ighodalo as the winner, alleging manipulation of results in several local governments.
Dr. Aziegbemi expressed gratitude to the protesters, saying, “We thank you all for coming out today in a journey to reclaim the mandate stolen from us by the police and INEC as they subverted the will of Edo people. If we had lost this election in a free and fair contest, we would have congratulated them, but because they stole our mandate, we can’t congratulate them.”
He reassured the crowd, “Go and sleep as we are going to reclaim the mandate stolen from us. We are calling on the judiciary to look at our submission and be truthful in their judgement when the time comes.”
Dr. Aziegbemi emphasized, “This is Nigeria, and we can’t be robbed of our victory. We are sure of reclaiming our stolen mandate as we will present overwhelming evidence. We believe the tribunal is made up of men and women of integrity who will look at the evidence and conclude that the PDP won the election. We are going to the tribunal with an open mind.”
He noted that the PDP is a peaceful party, committed to non-violence throughout the protest.
Mr. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, Director General of the Asue Ogie Campaign Organization, echoed Dr. Aziegbemi’s sentiments, stating that the PDP won the Edo governorship polls and will continue the protest until Dr. Ighodalo’s mandate is recognized.
“This election result will either make or break Nigeria’s democracy. INEC should be disbanded; they are part of the APC and are supported by the police. We will take our case forward. People may not believe in the judiciary, but we will give them a try,” he said.
Reverend Olu Martins, Deputy Director General of the Asue Ogie Campaign Organization, also spoke at the protest, calling for the removal of INEC electoral officers in Egor, Oredo, and Ikpoba Okha. He affirmed that the PDP leadership in the state will not compromise in their efforts to recover their mandate.
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