The leadership of the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has appealed to members for forgiveness over its inability to reclaim the governorship mandate through the courts.
The chairman of the State Caretaker
Committee, Tony Aziegbemi, made the appeal during a stakeholders’ meeting of
the party on Monday in Benin City.
In attendance at the meeting were the party’s September 21,
2024 governorship candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo; members of the state caretaker
committee; and leaders from across the senatorial districts of the state.
In his welcome address, Aziegbemi thanked members for
standing by the party throughout the election and the subsequent legal battle
to reclaim the governorship mandate from the All Progressives Congress, APC.
He said the party had done everything within its power to
retrieve the mandate through the courts.
According to him, “We are here to report to you. Please,
forgive us, Edo people, for not being able to retrieve your mandate. We fought
and we tried all we could do but we couldn’t.
“We are here to tell you that on your behalf, the candidate,
the deputy governorship candidate and the party, we did all what we could do to
retrieve our mandate, but unfortunately, the collusion between the presidency,
Federal Government, INEC, the security agencies and now the judiciary was a
hurdle we could not surmount.
“So, we are here to once again thank you from the bottom of
our hearts for all that you did for us. For standing by us. For making sure
that we were not alone on this journey because knowing that you were supporting
us, that gave us the impetus and the courage to move on to continue.
“We cannot thank you enough. May God, in His infinite mercy,
continue to guide, bless and prosper you and your family.
“We submit that the Supreme Court is the last bus stop and
there is nothing else we can do about that. So we have to close that chapter
and move on to the next thing.”
Aziegbemi also alleged that some APC leaders had begun
calling to congratulate him on the party’s victory at the polls before events
took an unexpected turn.
“By 8:30 pm of that September 21, 2024, APC leaders were
calling to congratulate me for having won the election because they saw what
all of us were seeing on the IReV, and then the manipulation started about 9
pm,” he added.
While reiterating that the governorship mandate was stolen
from PDP, he said the party had chosen to challenge the outcome legally in
keeping with the rule of law.
“The state caretaker committee of PDP in Edo State wants to
thank all members for sustaining the course, for being steadfast and for not
abandoning us till last Thursday when that travesty of justice was meted on us.
“On September 21, 2024, all of us, everybody and those that
cannot make it here, you throng out in your numbers and voted for our party and
the candidate Dr Asue Ighodalo.
“Edo people know who they voted for. Edo people know that
Asue Ighodalo is the elected governor of Edo State. They stole from us.
“They stole from us, they took and stole our mandate, and
because we are law-abiding we say let’s push this case legally,” he alleged.
In his remarks, Dr Asue Ighodalo, the party’s governorship
candidate, commended the leadership and members of the party for the trust and
confidence reposed in him before, during and after the election.
“I thank the people of Edo State that voted for me,
understood what they wanted in government but were forced to accept less than
that.
“So my call is, worry not, and fear not, be courageous, it
shall be temporary and what God has ordained will definitely come to pass and
God knows the appropriate time,” he stated.
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