It has been celebration galore for
members of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) in Edo State, following their victory
at the September 28 governorship election
in the state. The candidate of the APC,
Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, defeated his
closest rival, the candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Pastor Osagie
Ize-Iyamu, after polling 319,483 votes as
against 253,173 polled by Ize-Iyamu.
While the state has been agog with
celebration by APC members, the PDP is
kicking against the result, claiming the
election was rigged. But the APC
described the opposition party’s claim as
laughable, stating that the PDP was in
pains after its alleged plan to rig the
election fell flat before the election.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who led the
APC victory party in Benin-City, went
round the streets and markets
accompanied by Obaseki and expressing
his gratitude to the people. Oshiomhole
said victory at the polls has ended the
dream of some political god fathers in
the state and vowed that the state will
never go back to the dark days.
While the PDP is threatening to head to
court to contest the result of the election,
Benin-City stood still, last Thursday, for
Obaseki and the deputy governor-elect,
Philip Shaibu, when they received the
Certificate of Return from the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in
Edo, Mr Sam Olumekun, and the INEC
Commissioner in charge of the South-
South zone, Dr Mustapha Lecky, described
the election as one of the most credible
conducted by the Commission, but noted
that INEC will continue to improve on the
use of the card reader.
After receiving the certificate, Obaseki,
Shaibu and the mammoth crowd that
accompanied them, walked from the INEC
headquarters to Ring Road where market
women, youths joined in the celebration.
The event locked up the popular King’s
Square for several hours. A chieftain of
the APC and Special Adviser to the
Governor on Political Matters, Charles
Idahosa, explained why the PDP is angry
over the result of the election just as he
described its leaders’ cry as a deceit
“because they, including Ize-Iyamu, knew
from day one that they will lose the
election in as much as their rigging
machine failed to work”. Idahosa said:
“You can see the mammoth crowd
following Obaseki round the streets with
joy because that is the governor they
voted for.
Let me tell you why PDP is crying. While
we were campaigning vigorously across
all the nooks and crannies of the state,
PDP was busy trying to induce the
adhoc staff of INEC including the NYSC
members who were going to participate in
the conduct of the election. To tell you
how desperate they were, they went to
Auchi Polytechnic and UNIBEN, identified
the lecturers who were going to be used
by INEC for the election and bribed them.
When we found out, we raised the alarm
and, in order to ensure they conducted a
credible election, INEC went to a
neighbouring PDP state to bring the
adhoc staff. That is how they failed in
this one. Then they decided to import
militants into the state and their game
plan was that on the day of the election,
the militants will perpetrate mayhem,
particularly in Oredo, Ikpoba Okhai and
Egor, then get some INEC officials who
will help them smuggle in their result
which they have written already into INEC.
The PDP was in possession of result
sheets which it is parading today as the
authentic result and, as a matter of fact,
we are asking INEC to prosecute the
leaders. However, when the election was
initially postponed, they were shocked
because security agents mopped up the
militants in their different hide outs in the
state and they were demobilized.
So, in the election, they were stuck with
the result because there was nobody to
perpetrate violence that will enable them
smuggle that result into INEC. It was the
same result they went to place on the
internet claiming it was the main result.
How can you release an authentic result
on the internet when people were still
collating the result from the various units
and wards?. They did that to confuse the
people and create the impression that
they were winning so that pastor will not
claim that he was rigged out”.
Oshiomhole, who reacted to the threat by
the PDP to contest the result of the
election in court, while addressing APC
youths during a road show, after a ‘Thank
You’ visit to the Crown Prince of Benin
Kingdom, said: “We are happy with the
outcome of the election. We have gone to
present the candidate to the Crown
Prince, the Edaiken N’Uselu, and he
(Obaseki) has been very well
received.Thank you for coming out to
celebrate. I am sure we encourage our
opponents to go to court. We will be able
to lead evidence to show how much they
profited from electoral fraud because the
Ize-Iyamu that I know is not worth fifty
thousand votes. We will expose them
where it matters in the courtroom.
Remain firm and resolute. For me, I am
happy. The political funeral of the
godfathers is final.
There is nothing they can do to turn the
will of God. So, this is our finest hour and
I can’t wait to meet them in court. My
message to them is, it’s God who knows
their sin against our people that decided
to recall their political life. He has only
used us to cement it and to celebrate their
political funeral. I want to be remembered
not only for the road. We want to be
remembered for liberalising the politics
and getting rid of godfathers so that you
the youths can take charge of your
destiny.”
Meanwhile, the PDP is divided on the
result of the election. While the state
exco, led by Chief Dan Orbih, has
condemned the conduct of the election, a
former Chief Whip of the Senate and
leader of the party in the state, Senator
Rowland Owie, and the member
representing Ikpob Okhai/ Egor in the
House of Representatives, Mr Johnson
Agbonayinma, described the election as
free, fair and credible. Also, a pressure
group in Edo PDP, the Restoration Group,
described Orbih as a serial loser and
called for the resignation of the state
exco, saying the party was not prepared
for the election. Addressing journalists,
on Monday, the arrowhead of the group
and leader of the PDP in Oredo Local
Government Area, Mr Uyi Igbinigie, said
that, contrary to the position of the party
leadership that the election was rigged in
favour of the APC by the INEC, “the
election was one of the best conducted so
far by INEC and it was free, fair and
credible”. He went on: “The problem was
that before the election, because of the
financial recklessness of the PDP during
the last general elections, PDP already
had a bad name in Edo. And to add to the
injury, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who was
the PDP candidate, was among those who
collected N700million for the presidential
election. And his visit to the EFCC on the
matter left a sore in the campaigns. The
other reason was the attitude of the state
exco led by Chief Orbih. Rather than
speaking on what PDP will do during the
campaigns, Orbih was busy raining
abuses on Oshiomhole who is an outgoing
governor and Godwin Obaseki. Meanwhile,
Obaseki was quietly telling Edo people
what he will do for them. So we should
not waste our money going to the
tribunal; we believe that the PDP needs to
sit down and re-strategize but that will be
after the entire state exco must have
resigned for peace to reign in Edo PDP”.
On his part, Agbonayinma said: “I want to
congratulate both Obaseki and INEC.
Obaseki deserves victory because it is the
obvious that the generality of the people
of the state wants him and that is
democracy in action. For the fact that I
am a PDP man does not mean I will not
commend something good. I live in
America and they don’t play do-or-die
politics there. So, I congratulate Obaseki
and I hope he will surpass Governor
Adams Oshiomhole’s record because he
has a huge challenge before him. And for
INEC, you see, most times, all of us blame
INEC for inconclusive elections but you
can see that it is not their fault that what
we had happened in Edo. There was no
violence in that election, people came out
freely and happily to cast their votes and
you saw the result. So that will tell you
that if we don’t witness violence, INEC will
always conclude elections. So, we have to
orientate our politicians not to see
politics as a do or die thing. They should
emulate what happened in Edo so that we
will not continue to rubbish INEC. This
has shown that if politicians behave,
INEC will do their job perfectly”.
members of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) in Edo State, following their victory
at the September 28 governorship election
in the state. The candidate of the APC,
Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, defeated his
closest rival, the candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Pastor Osagie
Ize-Iyamu, after polling 319,483 votes as
against 253,173 polled by Ize-Iyamu.
While the state has been agog with
celebration by APC members, the PDP is
kicking against the result, claiming the
election was rigged. But the APC
described the opposition party’s claim as
laughable, stating that the PDP was in
pains after its alleged plan to rig the
election fell flat before the election.
Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who led the
APC victory party in Benin-City, went
round the streets and markets
accompanied by Obaseki and expressing
his gratitude to the people. Oshiomhole
said victory at the polls has ended the
dream of some political god fathers in
the state and vowed that the state will
never go back to the dark days.
While the PDP is threatening to head to
court to contest the result of the election,
Benin-City stood still, last Thursday, for
Obaseki and the deputy governor-elect,
Philip Shaibu, when they received the
Certificate of Return from the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in
Edo, Mr Sam Olumekun, and the INEC
Commissioner in charge of the South-
South zone, Dr Mustapha Lecky, described
the election as one of the most credible
conducted by the Commission, but noted
that INEC will continue to improve on the
use of the card reader.
After receiving the certificate, Obaseki,
Shaibu and the mammoth crowd that
accompanied them, walked from the INEC
headquarters to Ring Road where market
women, youths joined in the celebration.
The event locked up the popular King’s
Square for several hours. A chieftain of
the APC and Special Adviser to the
Governor on Political Matters, Charles
Idahosa, explained why the PDP is angry
over the result of the election just as he
described its leaders’ cry as a deceit
“because they, including Ize-Iyamu, knew
from day one that they will lose the
election in as much as their rigging
machine failed to work”. Idahosa said:
“You can see the mammoth crowd
following Obaseki round the streets with
joy because that is the governor they
voted for.
Let me tell you why PDP is crying. While
we were campaigning vigorously across
all the nooks and crannies of the state,
PDP was busy trying to induce the
adhoc staff of INEC including the NYSC
members who were going to participate in
the conduct of the election. To tell you
how desperate they were, they went to
Auchi Polytechnic and UNIBEN, identified
the lecturers who were going to be used
by INEC for the election and bribed them.
When we found out, we raised the alarm
and, in order to ensure they conducted a
credible election, INEC went to a
neighbouring PDP state to bring the
adhoc staff. That is how they failed in
this one. Then they decided to import
militants into the state and their game
plan was that on the day of the election,
the militants will perpetrate mayhem,
particularly in Oredo, Ikpoba Okhai and
Egor, then get some INEC officials who
will help them smuggle in their result
which they have written already into INEC.
The PDP was in possession of result
sheets which it is parading today as the
authentic result and, as a matter of fact,
we are asking INEC to prosecute the
leaders. However, when the election was
initially postponed, they were shocked
because security agents mopped up the
militants in their different hide outs in the
state and they were demobilized.
So, in the election, they were stuck with
the result because there was nobody to
perpetrate violence that will enable them
smuggle that result into INEC. It was the
same result they went to place on the
internet claiming it was the main result.
How can you release an authentic result
on the internet when people were still
collating the result from the various units
and wards?. They did that to confuse the
people and create the impression that
they were winning so that pastor will not
claim that he was rigged out”.
Oshiomhole, who reacted to the threat by
the PDP to contest the result of the
election in court, while addressing APC
youths during a road show, after a ‘Thank
You’ visit to the Crown Prince of Benin
Kingdom, said: “We are happy with the
outcome of the election. We have gone to
present the candidate to the Crown
Prince, the Edaiken N’Uselu, and he
(Obaseki) has been very well
received.Thank you for coming out to
celebrate. I am sure we encourage our
opponents to go to court. We will be able
to lead evidence to show how much they
profited from electoral fraud because the
Ize-Iyamu that I know is not worth fifty
thousand votes. We will expose them
where it matters in the courtroom.
Remain firm and resolute. For me, I am
happy. The political funeral of the
godfathers is final.
There is nothing they can do to turn the
will of God. So, this is our finest hour and
I can’t wait to meet them in court. My
message to them is, it’s God who knows
their sin against our people that decided
to recall their political life. He has only
used us to cement it and to celebrate their
political funeral. I want to be remembered
not only for the road. We want to be
remembered for liberalising the politics
and getting rid of godfathers so that you
the youths can take charge of your
destiny.”
Meanwhile, the PDP is divided on the
result of the election. While the state
exco, led by Chief Dan Orbih, has
condemned the conduct of the election, a
former Chief Whip of the Senate and
leader of the party in the state, Senator
Rowland Owie, and the member
representing Ikpob Okhai/ Egor in the
House of Representatives, Mr Johnson
Agbonayinma, described the election as
free, fair and credible. Also, a pressure
group in Edo PDP, the Restoration Group,
described Orbih as a serial loser and
called for the resignation of the state
exco, saying the party was not prepared
for the election. Addressing journalists,
on Monday, the arrowhead of the group
and leader of the PDP in Oredo Local
Government Area, Mr Uyi Igbinigie, said
that, contrary to the position of the party
leadership that the election was rigged in
favour of the APC by the INEC, “the
election was one of the best conducted so
far by INEC and it was free, fair and
credible”. He went on: “The problem was
that before the election, because of the
financial recklessness of the PDP during
the last general elections, PDP already
had a bad name in Edo. And to add to the
injury, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who was
the PDP candidate, was among those who
collected N700million for the presidential
election. And his visit to the EFCC on the
matter left a sore in the campaigns. The
other reason was the attitude of the state
exco led by Chief Orbih. Rather than
speaking on what PDP will do during the
campaigns, Orbih was busy raining
abuses on Oshiomhole who is an outgoing
governor and Godwin Obaseki. Meanwhile,
Obaseki was quietly telling Edo people
what he will do for them. So we should
not waste our money going to the
tribunal; we believe that the PDP needs to
sit down and re-strategize but that will be
after the entire state exco must have
resigned for peace to reign in Edo PDP”.
On his part, Agbonayinma said: “I want to
congratulate both Obaseki and INEC.
Obaseki deserves victory because it is the
obvious that the generality of the people
of the state wants him and that is
democracy in action. For the fact that I
am a PDP man does not mean I will not
commend something good. I live in
America and they don’t play do-or-die
politics there. So, I congratulate Obaseki
and I hope he will surpass Governor
Adams Oshiomhole’s record because he
has a huge challenge before him. And for
INEC, you see, most times, all of us blame
INEC for inconclusive elections but you
can see that it is not their fault that what
we had happened in Edo. There was no
violence in that election, people came out
freely and happily to cast their votes and
you saw the result. So that will tell you
that if we don’t witness violence, INEC will
always conclude elections. So, we have to
orientate our politicians not to see
politics as a do or die thing. They should
emulate what happened in Edo so that we
will not continue to rubbish INEC. This
has shown that if politicians behave,
INEC will do their job perfectly”.
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