LP lawmakers vow to fight for Edo people’s rights, reject gubernatorial election results

Labour Party members in the House of Representatives on Wednesday condemned the results of the Edo State governorship election, which on Monday saw Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress emerge victorious.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes, surpassing Asue Ighodalo and Olumide Akpata of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party, who secured 247,274 and 22,763 votes respectively.

At a press conference held at the National Assembly Complex, Deputy Minority Leader George Ozodinobi, representing 32 Labour MPs, denounced the election as fraudulent.

“The Labour Party fielded the best candidate, Olumide Akpata, who was blatantly rigged. Despite significant support from voters and a vigorous campaign by our leader, Peter Obi, Akpata only managed to secure a handful of votes,” Ozodinobi said.

“It is on record that our leader and presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, is campaigning vigorously for our governorship candidates in every corner of the state.

“Of course, the whole world witnessed the huge crowds the Obedience Movement drew wherever it went during the campaign; Chief Akpata got only a handful of votes in the state where the LP about a year and seven months ago, had one Senator and two House of Representatives. This is very much to the credit of the perpetrators of this crime.

“We are very concerned about the various irregularities and allegations of fraud that occurred in the election process, starting from the practice of vote buying by large political parties, intimidation of voters, mass printing of ballot papers, manipulation of election results, and so on.”

Ozodinobi highlighted irregularities including vote buying, voter intimidation and manipulation of election results. He blamed the alleged election manipulation on the Electoral Commission officials and security forces, stressing, “These criminal enterprises must stop, and Nigerians deserve a transparent election process.”

“For us, what happened in Edo State on September 21, 2024 was the biggest theft of the season. The voice of the voters was stolen and their will and determination were crushed.

“We want to state without further ado that the Labor Party is committed to the principles of democracy and will not stand by while the rights of our citizens are trampled upon.”

The lawmakers urged INEC to address these concerns and ensure the integrity of future elections, especially the 2027 elections. Ozodinobi assured Edo State residents that the Labour Party would continue to fight for their rights and interests, saying, “The tsunami of the Obi-dient Movement is coming, and no one will stop us.”

LP lawmakers vow to fight for Edo people’s rights, reject governorship election results first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.