- Aziegbemi said there were concerted efforts by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to stop the filing of the petition by the party’s governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo
A petition challenging the conduct and outcome of the September 21, 2024 governorship in Edo State has been filed at the tribunal, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has disclosed.
The State chairman of the party, Dr Anthony Aziegbemi made the disclosure at a press conference in Benin City.
Aziegbemi said there were concerted efforts by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to stop the filing of the petition by the party’s governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
According to him, the APC connived with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deny the party access to all the electoral materials used for the election.
He alleged that APC and INEC prevented them from inspecting the electoral materials despite the tribunal’s order to grant its leave to inspect the materials.
According to him, today, it is an honor and privilege to welcome you to the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, Edo State for this press briefing.
“We know many of you and indeed Edolites would have been wondering why we have not engaged you after the saddest day in the history of Edo State.
“The Stealing of your mandate and right to freely choose who will govern you in the next 4 years after the spectacular performance of our amiable Governor Godwin Obaseki.
“First, let me on behalf of the PDP express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to all Edolites that came out en masse on the 21st of September, 2024 to cast your votes for the PDP despite the unprecedented militarization and financial inducement by the APC.
“We are here to let you know that your vote will eventually count. You stared at the barrel of the gun, took their (our) money (in most cases fifteen thousand per vote) and you voted for the PDP.
“The unthinkable then happened. Your votes were discarded. You were violated, they thought that they can silence your choice. That will not happen. We are going to be with you all the way.
“We have filled our petition before the Election Tribunal on behalf of those that voted for our candidate. I assure you that the journey to reclaim our mandate has begun and by the grace of God, your mandate will be returned.
“That PDP is disrupting the inspection of materials at 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?, he queried.
He, however, alleged that the party’s intelligence unit have uncovered plans by the APC to burn INEC office, noting that they are alerting the security agencies of the plan.
He, also alleged that in spite of INEC’s feeble attempt to deny the party’s full complements of its request for Certified True Copy, CTC, of all Electoral materials, being the suspected political wing of the APC, they were still able to do the needful by filing the petition at the tribunal.
On his part, Director General (DG) Asue Ogie Campaign Management Committee, Mathew Iduoriyekemwen said the PDP has taken the matter before a competent election tribunal for its to get back the mandate given free by the people to the PDP and Asue Ighodalo.
Iduoriyekemwen urged PDP members and supporters not to give up as their stolen mandate will be recovered in no distance time in the course of the struggle to reclaim the stolen mandate
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