Less than 24 hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the Edo State governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to challenge the result in court, claiming its mandate was stolen.
PDP Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, made the announcement during a press briefing in Abuja, urging the people of Edo State to remain steadfast as the party pursues legal action to reclaim the governorship. This development comes as one of the civil society groups that monitored the election, Yiaga Africa, declared that the poll failed to meet integrity standards, while the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) called on INEC to review the discrepancies in its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Labour Party (LP) candidate, Olumide Akpata, also condemned the election, describing it as a “transaction” between the APC and PDP, and revealed that he has submitted the results for forensic analysis to guide his next steps.
INEC declared Okpebholo as governor-elect with 291,667 votes, defeating Dr. Asue Ighodalo of the PDP, who garnered 247,566 votes, and Akpata, who polled 22,763 votes.
While Okpebholo received congratulatory messages from the Federal Executive Council (FEC), governors, and stakeholders, the PDP said it would test the judiciary’s commitment to justice. Meanwhile, the LP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, labeled the election a case of “state capture,” further fueling the debate over the election’s credibility.
Observers have reported blurred results, over-voting, and upload discrepancies in areas such as Ovia North-East, Esan West, Ikpoba/Okha, Orhionmwon, and Uhunmwonde, prompting calls for INEC to re-examine the results.
