The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the result of Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Ondo State, in which the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The national leadership of the party led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi said monday that it has instructed its candidate and the Ondo State chapter of the PDP to proceed to the Election Petitions Tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election.
In the Ondo governorship election, Akeredolu, the candidate of the APC, garnered 244,842 votes, the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), polled 150,380 votes, while the Alliance for Democracy (AD) candidate, Olusole Oke, got 126,889 votes.
The position of the Makarfi-led PDP caretaker committee was made known just as the group loyal to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the party blamed PDP’s losses in the Edo and Ondo governorship elections on impunity and non-adherence to internal democracy by the governors of the PDP.
In a statement issued by the spokesman of the PDP, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, the party called for the cancellation of the poll, accusing INEC of colluding with the APC to rig the election.
“In view of the fact that the election was blatantly manipulated from the beginning to the end to favour the APC, we vehemently reject the results of the November 26, 2016 gubernatorial election in Ondo State. The election and all actions leading to it fall short of laid down principles guiding the conduct of elections in Nigeria.
“We have instructed our candidate and the Ondo State chapter of our party to proceed to the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election. We call on the judiciary to redeem Nigeria’s image in this matter as we request for the total cancellation of the election in Ondo State,” the main opposition party said.
While buttressing its position on the outcome of the gubernatorial election in Ondo State, Adeyeye described the result declared by Professor Abdul-Ganiyu Ambali, INEC’s Chief Returning Officer in the election, as a charade and not the true reflection of the will of the people in the state.
PDP said INEC has graduated from inconclusive elections as seen in Kogi, Bayelsa, Osun, FCT, Imo, Nassarawa and other by-elections in the country to “advanced election rigging” as was the case with Edo and Ondo States.
“It is common knowledge that the APC agents openly bought votes of the electorate in the full glare of security operatives who did nothing to prevent such dastardly violation of the Electoral Law.
“It is not surprising that the electorate in Ondo State became so vulnerable to the corruptive influence of the APC because of the harsh economic situation in the country inflicted on Nigerians by the APC administration which has indeed made all Nigerians virtually beggars in their own country,” it said.
The party also blamed the setback it suffered on the role of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the charlatans in PDP whom it accused of allowing themselves to be used by the APC to destroy its chances in the Ondo poll.
“The actions of INEC, in collaboration with the APC-led administration, left us no time to campaign and sell our candidate and party manifesto to the electorate in Ondo State.
“Our persistent calls for the postponement of the election which was backed and supported by more than 20 other political parties were all rejected by INEC which was acting the script of the APC.
“It was a carefully planned and well orchestrated strategy to rig the election well in advance by preventing the PDP from planning and campaigning for the election. The APC has hereby introduced a new formula of rigging elections in Nigeria.
“Finally, we congratulate our candidate, Hon. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), and our party in the state for the gallant performance at the poll, despite the severe injuries inflicted on us before, during and after the election,” it said.
However, Sheriff’s deputy and the former National Vice-Chairman (South-south) of the PDP, Dr. Cairo Ojoughoh, addressed a press conference yesterday in Abuja, during which the faction blamed the losses suffered by the PDP in the Edo and Ondo governorship polls on the impunity and the continued existence of the caretaker committee led by Senator Makarfi.
“It is not surprising that the electorate in Ondo State became so vulnerable to the corruptive influence of the APC because of the harsh economic situation in the country inflicted on Nigerians by the APC administration which has indeed made all Nigerians virtually beggars in their own country,” it said.
The party also blamed the setback it suffered on the role of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the charlatans in PDP whom it accused of allowing themselves to be used by the APC to destroy its chances in the Ondo poll.
“The actions of INEC, in collaboration with the APC-led administration, left us no time to campaign and sell our candidate and party manifesto to the electorate in Ondo State.
“Our persistent calls for the postponement of the election which was backed and supported by more than 20 other political parties were all rejected by INEC which was acting the script of the APC.
“It was a carefully planned and well orchestrated strategy to rig the election well in advance by preventing the PDP from planning and campaigning for the election. The APC has hereby introduced a new formula of rigging elections in Nigeria.
“Finally, we congratulate our candidate, Hon. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), and our party in the state for the gallant performance at the poll, despite the severe injuries inflicted on us before, during and after the election,” it said.
However, Sheriff’s deputy and the former National Vice-Chairman (South-south) of the PDP, Dr. Cairo Ojoughoh, addressed a press conference yesterday in Abuja, during which the faction blamed the losses suffered by the PDP in the Edo and Ondo governorship polls on the impunity and the continued existence of the caretaker committee led by Senator Makarfi.