Gov Fintiri also berated APC national chairman, Ganduje for defying movement restrictions and flying into Edo State in a private jet
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, has berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after declaring the winner of the Edo State governorship election on Sunday, describing the exercise as “shameful”.
TheNiche had earlier reported that INEC announced Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the September 21 governorship poll.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Faruk Kuta, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, said that the APC candidate secured 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes.
He added that Akpata of the LP finished a distant third with 22,763 votes.
Kuta declared, “That Okpebholo, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
Reacting to the development in a statement on Sunday, Fintiri said he wept for Nigeria’s democracy.
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He also condemned the national chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje for flying into the state with a private jet defying movement restrictions by the Nigeria police, describing it as a blatant disregard for democratic norms.
According to him, the reported vote-buying, disruption of collation processes, and suspicious results with more votes than accredited voters undermined trust in the nation’s democracy, stressing that democracy was indeed under attack.
Gov Fintiri added that the desperate attempt by the APC to discredit him would not distract from the real issue, adding that he shared results from INEC’s Irev portal, as collated by INEC from the various Local Government Areas.
“I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo Gubernatorial poll. The APC’s desperate attempts to discredit me by falsely claiming I announced results won’t distract from the real issue.
“What’s truly shameful is APC’s national chairman flying into Edo with a private jet on election day, defying movement restrictions, while their governors used armoured escorts to intimidate voters.
“This blatant disregard for democratic norms is the real brigandage. Nigerians are outraged, slamming INEC for compromising and favoring APC.
“We must condemn this rape of democracy and demand accountability. The world is watching, and Nigeria deserves better,” Gov Fintiri said.
