Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded Edo State governorship election, Asue Ighodalo has exonerated his party from voting buying during the election.
Truth Live News Media reports that Ighodalo stated this when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television Politics Today Programme.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the winner of the election, having polled 291,667 votes, while the PDP polled 247,274 votes and the Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata polled 22,761 votes.
The PDP candidate alleged that the All Progressives Congress offered minted notes of between N10,000 and N20,000 for votes, adding that the APC undermined the election with the support of INEC.
“We were not involved in vote buying at all. APC agents and other agents came with notes straight from the CBN or from the banks, mint notes, and they were offering N25,000, N30,000, and N50,000 per vote. What our guys did was to go to them and harass them and tell them that you can’t come here to buy votes. But we were not engaged in vote buying in any way, I’m clear about that”.
“We didn’t even need to go and buy votes. The people of Edo State were solidly with us, solidly. It’s only when you’re not sure of your capability you cannot perform. That’s when you do underhand things. And APC, through this election, with the connivance, complicity and support of INEC, undermined the whole democratic process.”, he stated.
Responding to whether he would accept the hand of fellowship from the Governor-elect and work with the new government, Ighodalo stated, “Because the mandate is stolen, there is no way you can accept these hands of fellowship or friendship.
“I will stay with the people of Edo State, who fully gave me the mandate of their free will, and I will go into the courts and the Tribunal to reclaim our mandate and then form the government”.