*Obaseki: Election Marred With Disregard For Rule Of Law

*Says PDP Will Seek Redress

BY GODWIN IJEDIOGOR

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has congratulated the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in last Saturday’s  governorship election in Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on his victory at the polls. 

    Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Farouk Kuta, on Sunday, September 22, in Benin City, declared Okpebholo winner of the September 21 governorship election after the collation of results from the 18 local government areas of the state.

Kuta, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, said Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 247,274 votes, while the candidate of Labour Party (LP), Olumide Akpata, came third with 22,763 votes.

Kuta stated: “Okpebholo Monday of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared winner and hereby returned elected.”

A breakdown of the results show that among the 17 parties and candidates that participated in the election, APC won in 11 local government areas and PDP won in the remaining seven.

Okpebholo is the senator representing Edo Central at the National Assembly.

Earlier, the PDP agent at the collation centre, Mr. Osaigbovo Iyoha, demanded the suspension of the declaration of the results, which he alleged were fraught with irregularities in many local government areas.

He stated that his party had submitted a petition to the Commission, urging the returning officer to suspend the process, pending the determination of issues raised.

      Tinubu, while welcoming result of the election, commended APC national leaders, Edo leaders and party’s governors for working hard to achieve victory.

The President, according to his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, said the victory testified the people’s support for the ruling party, progressive ideals, economic re-engineering programme and commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians.

While charging Okpebholo not to gloat over his victory, but to see it as a call to service, the President urged him to demonstrate magnanimity by reaching out to his political rivals and unite the people of Edo State to ensure development.

He also praised other candidates who participated in the election for their contributions to advancing Nigeria’s democracy, saying peaceful political contests, such as the Edo governorship election, portrays Nigeria as a stable democracy.

He urged all those aggrieved by the outcome to seek redress through legal channels, commended the people of Edo State for their orderly and peaceful conduct during the exercise, underscoring the country’s maturing  democracy after 25 years.

“I commend INEC and our security agencies for working round the clock to conduct a successful, peaceful and largely hitch-free exercise.

“INEC has once again demonstrated that it is committed to organising free and fair election in our country,” Tinubu added.

    In his reaction, former President Muhammadu Buhari, while congratulating APC and Okpebholo, following “this prized, historic electoral victory,” said he was very hopeful that both leaders of the incoming administration and the party that lost would work together to strengthen democracy and maintain the trajectory of the state’s development.

Buhari, in the message by his media aide, Mallam Garba Shehu, wished for a new lease of life for Edo State and its people, adding: “I very much hope the winners and the losers will work together to strengthen democracy and maintain the trajectory of development in the state.

“I commend law enforcement agencies for the efforts that they put in ensuring a peaceful election and the multitude of election officials who strive to improve their act with each election.

“I pray that Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country, will continue to achieve remarkable progress under democracy.”

     In the same vein, the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, congratulated Okpebholo over his election, which he said was victory was well-deserved.

    Ganduje, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Edwin Olofu, on Sunday, in Abuja, said Okpebholo’s victory was a testament to the confidence the good people of the state had in the progressive vision and leadership of the Tinubu-led APC administration.

While conveying the party’s warmest felicitations to Okpebholo, the former Kano State governor stressed that his victory reflected the trust and hope placed on his leadership and also reflected the hardwork and resilience of other party members and supporters who ensured a free, fair and peaceful election.

He expressed confidence that with Okpebholo’s leadership, Edo State was poised to witness unprecedented growth, peace and development that would transform the lives of its people, even as he pledged the party’s support for Okpebholo’s administration and to work with him to ensure the vision of a greater Edo was achieved for the benefit of all.

Ganduje thanked Tinubu and the Progressive Governors Forum(PGF) for their immense support, saying the victory was for all the people of Edo.

       Meanwhile, Governor Godwin Obaseki has urged residents of the state to remain calm and eschew violence and destruction of property.

Obaseki, in his brief state-wide broadcast, while reacting to the declaration of Okpebholo as winner of the election by INEC, indicated that his party would “seek resolution for this blatant disregard of law and process” through democratic means, saying peace and justice would always win in the end, adding: “This is my prescription to all the good people of Edo State who feel vexed and violated at this time.”

According to him: “It is obvious to the least discerning, the amount of impunity and reckless disregard for processes and law that was displayed in this gubernatorial election

“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.

“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.

“Regrettably, the outcome of the September 21 election appears to have daunted the spirit of many Edo people, who feel powerless in the face of the brute force of the institutions that are supposed to protect them. It is, therefore, understandable that many people feel sad and aggrieved.”

He went further: “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 in the end, and this is my prescription to all the good people of Edo State who feel vexed and violated at this time.

“Clearly, it is obvious to the least discerning, the amount of impunity and reckless disregard for processes and law that was displayed in this gubernatorial election.

“In a democracy, there are safeguards for addressing grievances, and we hope that those affected will seek resolution for this blatant disregard of law and process.

“With this in mind, I implore all Edo people to go about their lawful businesses and rest assured of the commitment of our government to your wellbeing and security.”