For the fourth time, members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday again protested the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the just concluded governorship election in Edo State.
The aggrieved PDP members had last Thursday during the collation of the governorship election results stormed the premises of INEC state headquarters in Benin-City to protest against the alleged manipulation of the election results in favour of APC.
The Independent National Electoral Commisson (INEC) had declared the All Progressives Congress (APC), Godwin Obaseki winner of the election with 319,483 votes against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate , Osagie Ize-Iyamu who polled a total of 253,173 votes.
Since the declaration of the election results, PDP supporters had last Thursday, Friday, Saturday and yesterday (Monday) protested the outcome of the election.
The protesters who took to the streets of Benin metropolis lamented that the results of the election did not reflect the wishes of Edo voters.
The protesters who marched through t
he major streets such as Akpakpava road, First East Circular road, Second East Circular road,Dawson road and New Benin were also armed with placards of various inscriptions.
Such of the inscriptions in the placards are “INEC is biased, not independent; Return our stolen mandate; Police conspiracy with INEC rigged the election; Return our stolen mandate to Ize-Iyamu as well as sang antic-protest songs.
Spokesman for the protesters, Olu Martins, said it was historical and ironical that nine to 10 years ago, he was among the protesters, who occupied the streets of Benin to protest the injustice done Governor Adams Oshiomhole in the 2007 Edo State governorship election.
Martins added that he was back in the streets again this time around to protest an “electoral heist perpetrated by Oshiomhole.
According to him, we will not stop until what rightfully belongs to the people is returned to them. The challenge is not what happened on Wednesday, September 28th. It is the process.
“For the first time in Nigeria’s political process, international observers and journalists were barred from collation on the evening of an election and asked to come back the following day.
“By the time they came back the following day, the results were ready. That’s magical. They have subverted the will of the people so, we cannot stop protesting. It simply means that some people could sit at the INEC office and write results.
“This simply means that public goodwill does not matter. It is shocking that the will of the people could be subverted in the 21st century and in 2016. This portends danger for the election that will be conducted in Ondo State in November and the general election of 2019.
“Oshiomhole came through the rule of law. Is is not historical that this thing happened about nine or 10 years ago. We were in the street for Adams Oshiomhole. Is it not ironical that we are in the streets against Adams Oshiomhole nine to 10 years later”,he stated.
The protest was monitored by the police and convened by the Centre for Leadership Initiative, which has organised similar protests at Abudu, in Orhionwon local government area of the state.
