The Chairman of Labour Party (LP) in Edo State, Mr Kelly Ogbalo has said that his party won the September 21 governorship election in the state but was not allowed to take possession of the victory.
Also, the Presidential candidate of the party in the February 2023 presidential election in Nigeria, Mr.Peter Obi, described the Edo State Governorship Election and its outcome as a “State capture.”
The Daily Crucible reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on Sunday, September 22 , declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC ) winner of the election conducted in Edo State on Saturday, September 21.
APC’s Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 247,274 votes while LP’s candidate, Mr Olumide Akpata, came third with 22,763 votes.
Reacting to the outcome of the election, Ogbalo claimed that it was marred by grave irregularities, including brazen vote-buying that even the security agencies were unable or failed to check.
Ogbalo who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin on Monday, said that were the process to be credible, fair and transparent, candidate Olumide Apata would have won.
He said, “Labour Party won the election but was not allowed to take possession. What I mean by that is that the election was marred with serious irregularities; there was open vote buying. The security agencies failed to check this anomaly.
“So in such a way where votes were bought and with manipulation of results here and there. What do you expect?,” he said.
The LP state chairman, however, said the party was yet to call a state council meeting to take a position on the matter – whether to challenge Okpebholo’s victory at the Tribunal or not.
