*Pix above: Gov Ahmadu Fintiri
Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, on Sunday condemned the outcome of the Edo State governorship election, describing it as a sham.
On Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the September 21 governorship poll.
Okpebholo, a serving senator, won the election with 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), purportedly got 247,274 votes.
Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party (LP) candidate, came a distant third with 22,763 votes.
But in a statement, Fintiri said he wept for Nigeria’s democracy, describing the exercise as shameful.
“I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo Gubernatorial poll. The APC’s desperate attempts to discredit me by falsely claiming I announced results won’t distract from the real issue. I merely shared results from INEC’s Irev portal, as collated by INEC from the various Local Government Areas,” Fintiri said.
“What’s truly shameful is APC’s national chairman flying into Edo with a private jet on election day, defying movement restrictions, while their Governors used armoured escorts to intimidate voters.
“This blatant disregard for democratic norms is the real brigandage. Nigerians are outraged, slamming INEC for compromising and favoring APC. The reported vote-buying, disruption of collation processes, and suspicious results with more votes than accredited voters undermine trust in our democracy. Democracy indeed is under attack.
“We must condemn this rape of democracy and demand accountability. The world is watching, and Nigeria deserves better.”
Meanwhile, Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, has appealed to residents not to resort to violence and destruction of public property over the outcome of the gubernatorial election in the state.
In a broadcast to residents, Obaseki called for calm, saying those who feel aggrieved should follow due process by challenging the outcome in court.
“The attractive thing about democracy is the power it bestows on the people to choose who governs them. Therefore, when this power is blatantly seized from the people, it is not just a tragedy, but a travesty of democracy,” the governor said.
“Regrettably, the outcome of the September 21 governorship election appears to have daunted the spirit of many Edo people who feel powerless in the face of brute force of the institutions that are supposed to protect them.
“It is, therefore, understandable that many people feel sad and aggrieved. But in the midst of this despair, I am urging all my fellow Edo citizens to maintain calm and not resort to violence and destruction of property in spite of this provocation.
“Peace and justice will always win at the end and this is my prescription for all the good people of Edo state who feel vexed about and violated at this time.
“Clearly, it is obvious to the least discerning the amount of impunity and disregard for process and law that was displayed in this gubernatorial election.
“In a democracy, there are always safeguards for addressing grievances and we hope that all those affected will seek resolution for this blatant disregard for law and process.”
The governor asked residents to go about their lawful businesses, adding that the government is committed to their well-being and security.(agency)///
