Mathew Iduoriyekeme, Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council in Edo State, has declared that the party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, secured a landslide victory in the recently concluded Edo State governorship election, winning over 65% of the vote.
However, Iduoriyekeme stated that the final results were manipulated in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, through a series of irregularities involving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies.
Speaking on Arise TV, Iduoriyekeme expressed disappointment in INEC’s handling of the electoral process, accusing the commission of failing to adhere to its regulations and permitting widespread electoral malpractice.
“I expected INEC to play by its own rules. “The BVAS was introduced to ensure transparency and credibility, but what we saw was an outright rejection of this technology in certain areas.
“There were multiple instances where the BVAS was either bypassed or manipulated to favor the ruling party.
“It was shocking to witness INEC officials colluding with certain elements to undermine the process,” he stated.
Iduoriyekeme further alleged that there were collaborations between INEC officials and security agencies to manipulate the results.
According to him, PDP agents were forcibly driven away from several collation centers, leaving the process open to rigging.
“In many of the collation centers, our agents were driven away by security forces in collaboration with INEC officers.
“These actions were taken to ensure that no one was present to challenge the fraudulent alterations made to the results. This is nothing short of a criminal act,” Iduoriyekeme said.
He maintained that if the true results from the polling units had been allowed to stand, Ighodalo would have emerged victorious with a clear margin of over 65% of the vote, reflecting the will of the people of Edo State.
“Asue Ighodalo was the clear winner of this election. The people of Edo came out in large numbers to vote for change, and over 65% of the electorate chose him as their governor. What we are seeing is a complete subversion of the people’s will,” he said