During a press conference in Benin City on Wednesday, Olu Martins, the deputy director general of the Asue-Ogie Governorship Campaign Council, declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State believes that its victory was unfairly taken away in the recent governorship election held the previous Saturday.
He mentioned that the party was already in a celebratory mood anticipating their win, only to discover that the election results had been manipulated.
Martins highlighted that according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with 95% of the results released, the PDP was leading by more than 45,000 votes.
He said, “We were already jubilating because by the time the result of the election got to 95 per cent, you know where you have won or not.”
Martins pointed out that even if the outstanding 5% of the votes were to swing in favor of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would still have secured a win.
While arriving at the collation center, Martins asserted that there was a sudden shift in the environment as purportedly instructed by the police, who allegedly advised party representatives to vacate the premises.
He characterized the election not just as a competition between the PDP and APC but as a broader struggle against both the Nigerian Police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), whom he accused of collaborating to subvert the democratic process.
“APC is not celebrating their ‘illegal mandate,” he mentioned , stating that it is “the worst election INEC has ever conducted in Nigeria.”
Martins censured the electoral procedures, highlighting the significance of the IREV (Results Viewing Portal) and the crucial role of Form EC8, which documents outcomes from more than 4,000 polling stations.
He contended that inconsistencies between the displayed results and the figures declared by INEC suggest potential misconduct in the election process.
“When the APC saw that they were losing, they moved to Plan B,” Martins accused, expressing regret that without the direct involvement of INEC and security personnel, rigging an election would be unattainable.
He recounted situations where police purportedly brandished firearms at PDP agents, preventing their entry into the collation center, while granting unhindered access to APC delegates.
Martins alleged that the president is promoting a single-party dominance, claiming that the prevailing political environment signals a push to revert Edo State back under APC authority.
“The police did what they have done in the defence of the president’s statement,” he said.
He reassured supporters that the party is currently scrutinizing the results and intends to pursue legal recourse.
He concluded, “We are studying the situation, and in a few days our leadership will tell us the line of action.”
 in Edo State believes that its victory was unfairly taken away in the recent governorship election held the previous Saturday.){kind=link}