The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has officially rejected the results of the Edo State Governorship election, demanding an immediate review by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). At a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, Umar Damagum, the party’s acting National Chairman, declared that the poll was marred by widespread irregularities and failed to meet democratic standards.
The results, announced on Sunday, saw Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) declared winner with 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, who secured 247,274 votes, and Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata, who finished with 22,763. While APC carried ten of the 18 local government areas in Edo, PDP won eight. Damagum, however, denounced the outcome as a manipulation of the people’s will.
“The PDP unequivocally rejects the final result of the Edo State governorship election,” Damagum said, “as it did not reflect the expressed will and aspiration of the people, as stipulated by the Electoral Act 2022.” He called on Nigerians to stand in solidarity with the party’s rejection of what he termed the “brazen rigging” of the election, claiming that the democratic process had been subverted by the APC in concert with compromised security operatives and INEC officials.
The PDP’s demands include a full review of the results by INEC under the provisions of Section 65 of the Electoral Act, which allows for a reassessment of the electoral process in light of substantial evidence of malpractice. Damagum stressed that only votes genuinely cast at polling units should be counted, and he urged the people of Edo to remain resilient in the face of what he called “an assault on their democratic rights.”
Damagum’s claims were bolstered by reports from civil society observers such as Yiaga Africa, which highlighted irregularities, including vote manipulation during the collation process in several key local government areas. However, other observer groups, including the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), commended INEC’s management of the election, praising the efficiency of its BVAS and iReV systems.
Meanwhile, in Edo, Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata, who placed third, expressed dismay at what he described as the “transactional” nature of the election. “What transpired on September 21 was not an election but a transaction,” Akpata said, lamenting the widespread vote-buying that, in his view, distorted the true will of the electorate.
As Nigeria’s political landscape braces for potential legal challenges, the PDP’s focus now shifts to the courts, where Damagum promised that the judiciary’s ability to deliver justice will be “tested once again.” As the fallout from the Edo election continues to unfold, it underscores growing concerns about the fragility of Nigeria’s democratic process.
