Asue Ighodalo, the gubernatorial candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the current Edo State election, has labeled the electoral process as potentially the worst in Nigeria’s history.
Ighodalo made these remarks during a press conference held in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, on Sunday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has so far released results from 16 of the 18 local government areas in Edo. Leading the race is Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who has secured victories in 10 of those areas, boasting a lead of over 48,000 votes.
Ighodalo accused INEC of bias, asserting that his party has faced numerous irregularities throughout the election.
“From our viewpoint, the manner in which these elections are unfolding may well be the most dismal in the annals of this country,” he stated.
He pointed out discrepancies in the voting process, mentioning, “In over 20 polling units from the results declared yesterday, the recorded votes exceed the number of accredited voters.”
Ighodalo expressed concern over what he termed a “result fabrication scheme” that he deemed entirely unacceptable.
“This entire process is intolerable, and attempts to disenfranchise our collation agents are alarming. As His Excellency Umaru Fintiri has consistently highlighted, we witness APC members and their associates, allegedly supported by individuals in security uniforms, resorting to violence against polling agents and disrupting electoral proceedings.”
He concluded, “Such behavior is intolerable in the 21st century, and certainly not acceptable in Nigeria. We should have advanced beyond this.”
