The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi has reacted to the outcome of the Edo State off-cycle governorship election conducted in the state on Saturday, September 21st, 2024.
Recall that Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress, APC was declared the winner of the fiercely contested governorship election, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared that the APC candidate scored 291,667 votes while Ighodalo polled 247,274 votes.
Olumide Akpata of the LP came a distant third with 22,761 votes.
Obi, like the PDP and civil society organisations, in a strongly-worded statement issued on his X handle on Monday, expressed disappointment at the conduct and outcome of poll.
He opined that the election did not in any way represent the democratic process the country chose as a method of electing political leadership.
The former Anambra governor instead, said the election was a “blatant example of state capture” and “continued gross undermining of our democratic process and values.”
Continuing, Obi argued that any nation whose leadership recruitment process is so fatally flawed is doomed, adding that “we are all seeing the effect in our country.”
The LP chieftain urged those in authority not to allow “this situation to stand, or depend on it to remain in power.”
He further said, “As a country, we have invested significantly in IReV and BVAS, and they must be allowed to function and used properly in order to free our electoral process from the massive falsification that has plagued it and worsening.
“To the agencies and individuals being used to undermine our democracy simply because they hold positions of authority, please remember that your time in office is not eternal. The society that you are helping to destroy today will eventually take her revenge on you tomorrow.
“To the lecturers and others complicit in perpetuating this charade, you must reflect deeply on the roles you are playing in damaging the very foundation of our democracy.
“The damage you are causing today will inevitably take revenge on you tomorrow and affect your children in the future.
“This kind of action has no place in a true democracy. That is why I have always maintained that today’s politics is not about capturing power, but about saving the country and making it work for everyone, regardless of their background.”
He maintained that he is, however, committed to building a new and truly democratic Nigeria, which he insists is very possible.
