The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally rejected the results of the Edo State governorship election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). At a press conference in Abuja, PDP Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum called on Nigerians to support the party’s stance against the results.
INEC had declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, who received 247,274 votes, and Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata, who came third with 22,763 votes. The APC won in 10 out of 18 local government areas, while the PDP won 8.
Damagum argued that Ighodalo was the rightful winner and claimed the election fell short of democratic standards. He stated, “The PDP unequivocally rejects the Edo State Governorship election results as declared by INEC, citing failure to meet the minimum democratic standards and the Electoral Act, 2022.”
He called on INEC to review the election results as per Section 65 of the Electoral Act, 2022, and only announce results reflecting genuine votes from the Polling Units. The PDP plans to challenge the results in court and urged Edo State residents to remain resilient, emphasizing that Ighodalo’s election reflects the true will of the people.
