Ondo Not Edo, We’ll Protect Our Votes, Says PDP Candidate

The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate in Ondo, Agboola Ajayi, has said that they will vote and protect their votes, noting, “Ondo is not Edo, our attitude, understanding, and patience differs”.

He described the result of the governorship election in Edo State as a rape on democracy.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the governorship candidate of the All Progres­sives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo, the winner of the Saturday’s election.

According to the commission, Okpebholo, who scored 247,274 votes, beat his closest rival and the candidate of the PDP, Asue Ighodalo, who polled 291,667 votes, to emerge winner of the election.

But the PDP governorship candidate in Ondo, Agboola Ajayi, said Nigerians were not fooled by the official results de­clared by INEC, stating that Ig­hodalo won the exercise.

Ajayi, in the statement re­leased by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Ayo Fadaka, expressed disappointment at how INEC disregarded the electoral law by shifting the collation of votes in the designated LG colla­tion centres to its headquarters in Benin.

“The Edo State Governorship Election results represent anoth­er rape on democracy in Nigeria and for the umpteenth time, we declare that this is absolutely condemnable, as it betrays a total disregard for the electoral desires of the people as validly expressed through the ballot.

“Nigerians are not fooled by the officially declared result by INEC, they know that PDP won that election and this is a shame on those who sit atop our affairs,” the statement reads.

It added, “In Ondo State, we have taken due cognisance of these dastardly acts committed by agencies saddled with the respon­sibilities to provide level playing grounds, and sadly failed to live up to expectations. It is a shameful act that lowers the status and re­spect due to Nigeria in the comity of nations.

“However we are prepared to ensure that rules will be followed in our election which comes up in November. We need to under­score that we will not acquiesce or take kindly to any act geared towards compromising votes in our election.

“We state emphatically for all to see and hear that Ondo is not Edo, our attitude, understand­ing, and patience differs. We will vote and protect our vote here. We are resolved to give ev­erything to ensure that the elec­toral desires of our people will command attention and attain the desired goals.”