APC taunts PDP as Ighodalo submits petition to Edo tribunal

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally submitted a petition challenging the results of the September 21 governorship election.

This was announced by the party’s State Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, during a press conference in Benin on Monday.

Aziegbemi revealed that the PDP successfully beat the deadline for filing the appeal, stating, “We managed to submit our petition against all odds.”

The governorship election, which took place on September 21, 2024, resulted in the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo, being declared the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Ighodalo Asue Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes.

Following Okpebholo’s declaration as the winner, the PDP accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC of attempting to undermine its right to contest the election results at the tribunal.

The party cited significant irregularities and discrepancies in the election outcomes as grounds for its petition.

In response, the APC has ridiculed the PDP’s move, asserting that the opposition party lacks an existing mandate.

Tensions between the two parties escalated last week when members of both the PDP and APC converged on the party secretariat in Benin, making claims and counterclaims of efforts to distort election materials.

Aziegbemi assured PDP members and supporters that the party remains committed to reclaiming its “stolen mandate.”

He called on the people of Edo State to remain hopeful, asserting that no amount of obstruction would deter the party from winning the case.

He said, “We have filed our petition before the election petitions tribunal on your behalf. I assure you that the journey to reclaim our mandate has begun and, by the grace of God, your mandate will be retrieved.

“Despite INEC’s (being the political wing of the APC) attempt to deny us full complements of our request for CTC of all electoral materials, we were still able to do the needful.”

Aziegbemi also denied that the PDP disrupted the inspection of electoral materials at the INEC office.

He added, “How did PDP disrupt the inspection of materials at the INEC office? In whose interest is the disruption? We applied to the court for inspection, the court granted us an enrolled order to inspect. Why would we want to disrupt the process?”

Aziegbemi, who disclosed that more members of the party had been arrested after the election, added that those arrested over the killing of Inspector Akor Onuh had been released after bail payment.

He added, “You will recall that the police were arresting our members on the false allegation of killing SP Akor. Amazingly, more arrests have been made after the election.

“How low can the police go under this patently biased IGP that seems to be heading the armed wing of the APC?”

Reacting, The Publicity Secretary of the APC, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, said that the PDP does not have an existing mandate which was stolen, noting that they should talk less as they cannot be a party in a case and, at the same time giving judgement.

The APC, in a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, said, “The PDP does not have any existing mandate that was stolen. Is it not an existing mandate that they steal?

“It is the Independent National Electoral Commission that conducts and announces the winner of an election in the country. It is the same INEC that announced the APC as the winner of the September 21 governorship election in the state.

“When did they get the mandate that was stolen? Where did the get the votes that gave them the mandate they are talking about?

“They need to keep quiet now because the case is sub judice. They have gone to court. They cannot be a party in a case and be giving judgement in their matter.

“They should let the tribunal do its jobs, to say who won and who did not. We will meet them headlong in court.”