During a large rally held at Garrick Memorial Secondary School in Benin City, attended by the party’s presidential candidate from the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, along with various PDP governors, Damagum declared, “You will have to eliminate or detain every one of us if you intend to seize this state.”
He asserted, “While you may have your gang, we have the backing of God. To the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), we reject any announcements of results made in the dead of night. This is not a threat; we are prepared to defend our votes with our lives.” He vowed that the PDP would continue to ensure good governance in Edo State.
Damagum subsequently presented what he termed “the flag of victory” to the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo.
Governor Obaseki characterized the upcoming governorship election as an “existential threat,” emphasizing, “This election is a matter of life and death. If they act, we will not survive.”
Senator Adolphous Wabara, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) for the party, urged INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to refrain from announcing election results until he is absolutely certain of their accuracy. He encouraged the INEC leader to rectify the mistakes made during the 2023 general elections and consider a peaceful retirement afterward.
Atiku Abubakar also addressed the crowd, imploring the people of Edo to vote for the PDP, to “defend and safeguard their votes,” confidently asserting that “the PDP will emerge victorious next week.”
