Dissatisfied with the outcome of the recent Edo State governorship election, members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) protested at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Benin on Wednesday.
The state PDP chairman, Dr Anthony Aziegbemi led the protesters along with the Director General of the PDP Campaign Council, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, and the Deputy Director General (Media and Publicity), Rev. Olu Martins, among others.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, demanding that INEC return the “stolen mandate” by declaring Dr Asue Ighodalo as the authentic winner of the governorship election.
The protest caused major disruptions to vehicular movement for several hours along the Ramat Park axis of the busy Auchi-Benin Expressway.
Addressing the protesters, Aziegbemi stated that the protest was to inform the world that the PDP had won the election, alleging that the results were altered.
Aziegbemi called on INEC to declare Ighodalo as the rightful winner, accusing the commission of allegedly manipulating the results of certain local governments in favour of another candidate.
“We thank everyone for joining this journey to reclaim our stolen mandate, which was subverted by both the police and INEC.
“If we had lost in a free and fair contest, we would have congratulated them, but they stole our mandate. Therefore, we cannot congratulate them,” Aziegbemi said.
He reassured supporters that the PDP would reclaim the mandate, urging them to remain patient while the judiciary reviews the case and delivers a fair judgment.
“This is Nigeria; we will not allow our victory to be stolen. We are confident that the overwhelming evidence we will present will help recover our mandate,” Aziegbemi added
He expressed faith in the integrity of the tribunal, stating that its members would review the evidence impartially and recognise that the PDP rightfully won the election.
Aziegbemi highlighted that the PDP was a peaceful party, committed to non-violence, as demonstrated throughout their protests.
Mr Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, Director General of the Asue/Ogie Campaign Organization, vowed that the PDP would continue its protests until Ighodalo’s mandate was restored.
Earlier, Reverend Olu Martins called for the dismissal of INEC electoral officers from Egor, Oredo, and Ikpoba Okha, accusing them of alleged misconduct during the election. (NAN)
