Edo governorship election outcome of what Tinubu wanted – PDP

By Jethro Ibileke

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship election campaign council has said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was responsible for the outcome of last Saturday’s governorship election in in Edo.

The Deputy Director-General of the Council, Rev. Olu Martins stated this on Wednesday in Benin while addressing the press on the party’s position of the outcome of the election.

He said it was clear that “the president wants to turn this nation to a one-party state, because, this is not an election, this is state capture. They captured the security agents, they captured the INEC.”

Olu Martins said Tinubu’s statement that he would give Edo to the APC gave the leeway for the party to manipulate the election to their favour.

“We hold the president of Nigeria responsible for this sham that happened in Edo State, because when he made that unstatemanly statement that I will give Edo state to you, and he backed it up that I am the president and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it was a clear invitation for anarchy,” he said.

The PDP chieftain alleged that the election was not between the APC and the PDP, but that the “contestation was between the PDP and the security operatives, one hand, led by the Nigeria Police and then the Independent National Electoral Commission”, who he said come together to rape democracy.

He said: “By the time the collation has gotten to 95 percent, we have started jubilating and we concluded that even the 5 percent that was left all voted for the APC, we would still have won the election with well over 45,000 votes, until we got to the collation center.

“Before we know what was happening, the real lions and tigers in uniform popped up and said to the others that we are here for a mission.

“At the appropriate time, we will start naming and shaming them, because democracy must survive. This is democracy under the whims and caprice of one individual.”

He stated further: “I can boldly say here that Monday Okpebholo is not my governor, not because I have a problem with him, but the process that produce him. Not when you have a rape of democracy and by all definition, the worst election that INEC may have ever conducted, especially in this fourth republic.

“If this election were to be conducted 10 times over, I would have voted for Dr. Asue Ighodalo again and again,even if we know that they will rig the election.

“We have no regret in what we have done, they are the loser, we are the champions because the APC is not up to our level, if they are up to our level, they would not have done what they did.”

Olu Martins, however, advised members and supporters of the of the party to be calm, adding, “we are studying the results, in a few days, our leadership will pronounce the next line of action.”