The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) criticized the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors on Sunday for their claims of manipulated results in the Edo State governorship election held on September 21, 2024. INEC had announced the victory of Monday Okpebholo from the All Progressives Congress (APC), who received 291,667 votes, while PDP’s candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, garnered 247,274 votes. Olumide Akpata from the Labour Party came in third with 22,761 votes.
Following a two-day meeting in Jos, Plateau State, the PDP Governors Forum reiterated its allegations of electoral irregularities that it claims deprived their candidate of victory in Edo. They also accused the APC of engaging in vote-buying in Ondo.
According to the PDP governors, INEC manipulated results to favor the APC, stating that it was evident to anyone with integrity that they altered the results against Ighodalo. They urged the judiciary and lawmakers to enhance electoral laws to protect the public’s will from what they called “institutional sabotage.”
In their communique, the forum expressed deep concern about the perceived undermining of democracy in the Edo elections, emphasizing that most lawful votes were cast for the PDP.
Responding to these accusations, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, called the claims “unfortunate and inappropriate,” stating that as a law-abiding body, INEC cannot comment on matters currently in court. He urged the PDP to present its evidence in court rather than airing unverified claims publicly. Oyekanmi pointed out that it was the PDP that initiated legal proceedings to contest the Edo election results while simultaneously discussing the matter in the media.
On the issue of the Ondo State election, Oyekanmi defended INEC’s performance, calling it one of the commission’s better elections, while acknowledging it wasn’t flawless. He urged political parties to exhibit good sportsmanship, implying that accepting election results should not depend solely on winning.
The APC, in response, criticized the PDP governors for focusing on public sentiment rather than their legal case. Bala Ibrahim, the APC National Publicity Director, questioned why the PDP was not utilizing constitutional avenues to address their grievances instead of appealing to public opinion. He expressed concern that the PDP’s actions might be aimed at inciting public disorder and recalled that the opposition party refused to sign a Peace Accord before the election, suggesting possible ulterior motives behind their current allegations.
