The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally rejected the results of the Edo State governorship election, which were recently announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). During a press conference held in Abuja, the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, expressed the PDP’s dissatisfaction with the outcome and called for nationwide support to challenge the election results.
Damagum claimed that the PDP’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, was the rightful winner of the election and criticized the electoral process for failing to meet basic democratic standards. He pointed to various alleged irregularities during the voting and counting process, arguing that these issues compromised the integrity of the election. According to Damagum, the official results announced by INEC do not reflect the true will of the Edo people.
In his address, Damagum urged concerned Nigerians and civil society organizations to rally behind the PDP in its effort to seek justice. He emphasized that the party would not accept what it believes to be a flawed result and would explore all legal and democratic means to challenge the outcome. The PDP’s leadership is determined to ensure that the mandate they believe was given to Ighodalo is restored.
The acting chairman also criticized INEC for its role in the election, accusing the commission of failing to ensure a free, fair, and transparent process. He called on the electoral body to take responsibility for the lapses that occurred and to implement reforms that would prevent future elections from being marred by similar controversies.
With this formal rejection of the election results, the PDP is signaling its intent to pursue legal action to overturn the declared outcome. This sets the stage for what could be a prolonged legal battle over the governorship of Edo State, as the party continues to contest the legitimacy of the election.
“The PDP therefore 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, having not reflected the expressed will and aspiration of the people,” Damagum stated, emphasizing the need for INEC to review the election results in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
He announced that the party would take legal action to contest the results and called on Edo citizens to remain resilient. “From unfolding political events in the country, the latest being the brazen rigging of the Saturday, September 21, 2024, Edo State Governorship election by the All Progressives Congress (APC), it is clear that our democracy is under threat,” he said.
Damagum further alleged that the election was compromised through collusion with security operatives and INEC officials. He pointed to specific individuals, stating, “You may recall that the PDP had on several occasions alerted of this sinister plot by the APC to subvert the election.”
He insisted that Ighodalo had been chosen by the people and that their will must be respected. “Nigerians and the world watched in horror as the APC-compromised security operatives and thugs unleashed terror, harassed, arrested and detained PDP members,” he said, accusing the APC of manipulating the electoral process to alter results in their favor.
Despite the violence and intimidation, Damagum claimed, “Results obtained from the Polling Units show that our candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo clearly won the election before the figures were altered at the State collation exercise.”
He called for solidarity from all Nigerians in rejecting what he termed an assault on democratic rights. When questioned about the party’s faith in the judiciary, Damagum responded, “In this election, we shall once again test the level of preparedness of the judiciary to deliver justice where it is needed.” He concluded with a stark warning: “They say that when the judicial system does not work, then you don’t have a country.”
