By Ikhazuagbe Ojiekere
Ahead of the next Saturday’s Governorship election in Edo State, governors on the platform of the peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday stormed the state for the party’s candidate, Barrister Asue Ighodalo.
Sundiata Post reports that Governors who were in the state for the grand finale of the governorship campaign rally in Benin City vowed not to be intimidated by the alleged “Federal Might”.
The governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Bala Mohammed also used the occasion to refute the alleged division in the PDP Governor Forum.
According to him, there is no division and crisis in the PDP Governor Forum. We are united and not divided. They are lying by saying the governor of plateau is decamping to APC.
Other governors that spoke at the rally which include Senator Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, Douye Diri, Bayelsa, Kefas Agbu, Taraba, Umo Bassey Eno, Akwa Ibom, Caleb Mutfwang, Plateau States all noted that the party cannot be intimidated in the election.
Earlier, the Chairman, National Campaign Council, Edo 2024 Governorship Election and Governor of Adamawa State, His Excellency, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri warned against any act of compromise of the electoral process at the election.
“We cannot be intimidated. We will tell them we know how to win election. No body will rig us out”,he said.
The Adamawa governor urged the people to come out enmass on the election day and vote for the PDP candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo.
He said Edo was known as the cradle of civilization and intellectual in Nigeria, noting that they must not settle for anything less.
Fintiri who likened Ighodalo to Obaseki, noted that governor Godwin Obaseki has done his best for the State and left a landmark in terms of human capital development.
He stated”you cannot at this point of our history, where insecurity have engulfed everywhere, bring someone who has said he is going to bring insecurity to Edo State.”
In his remark, the acting national chairman of the party, Ambassador Umar Damagun said the party would defend the votes of its candidate with its blood against rigging by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Damagun warned INEC against announcing of results in the midnight, threatening that they would defend the results with their blood.
He said, “to INEC, please, I enjoin you that we don’t want that midnight results announcement. We will be vigilante, on top of the situation, and we will make sure that, that doesn’t happen.
“We are issuing this and it is not a threat, but we are very very serious and we will defend our votes with our blood and everything”,he said.
The Acting National Chairman of the party, also called on security agencies to be neutral and give all political parties a level playing field.
He noted that they would submit themselves for the security agencies to be killed and arrested if they worked in favour of any political party.
“I want to use this opportunity to tell our security agencies that you are being paid with taxpayers’ money. You have to accord the values for which you are created. Protect Nigerians, ensure justice and make sure that everyone is safe.
“A situation whereby you decide to take part in favour of any political party, let me make this very clear that you have to kill or arrest all of us if you have to take this state.
“We will be here and be with our party, and we are also ready to give our vote and blood for our right.
I want to make this very clear, you may have the guns but we have God”,he stated.
While urging Nigerians to be concerned with the next week governorship election in the state, he opined that it would be a test for the nation’s democracy.
He posited that the party would resist INEC if it failed to conduct a credible, fair and free election, noting that any contrary would lead to anarchy.
Also speaking, the Edo state governor Godwin Obaseki said the next Saturday’s governorship election is a do or die affairs.
Obaseki, who described the use of “federal might” in the election as an existential threat vowed that if they do they would all die.
Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria, while noting that Edo is not Lagos, urged the people to come out and vote for PDP candidate.
Atiku, assured that the Edo people votes would count, just as he urged them to protect their votes from the polling units to the final collation centres and announcement.
In his speech shortly after being presented with the flag of the party, Asue Ighodalo, the governorship candidate of the party, promised to build and consolidate on the achievements of Governor Obaseki when elected.
Ighodalo added that like the governors of the party, he would fight battles to win the governorship election.
“All our govs, that is the PDP governors fight battles to win their elections. None of them get it easy to win their elections. That shows that the PDP is a party of courage. That is the same battle that Osarodion Ogie and I will fight to win the election”, he added