The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has strongly criticised the conduct of the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State, describing it as one of the most undemocratic elections in Nigeria’s history.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the election.
Okpebholo garnered 291,667 votes, defeating the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who secured 247,274 votes. Labour Party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata, came third with 22,763 votes.
Speaking on Wednesday during the memorial service for the late Chief Edwin Clark, Obi questioned the legitimacy of the electoral process and raised concerns about the state of democracy in the country.
“We have a country now that is not democratic. We are not a democratic country. Let’s tell ourselves the truth. Is the election, the election that happened in Edo, is it democratic? Just the last election in Edo, it’s the most un-democratic election. Everybody knows who won that election. So why are we keeping it and saying, let’s their work not be in vain. It is in vain. So we can start picking the pieces now, because they’ve destroyed everything, people have sacrificed for,” he said.
Obi’s remarks reflect growing criticism from opposition figures and civil society groups who have raised concerns over alleged irregularities and voter suppression during recent elections.
