The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the outcome of Saturday’s senatorial and House of Representatives by-elections, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of sabotage and deliberate electoral malpractice.
The elections, held on August 16, saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) declared winners in two key federal races.
INEC announced Joseph Ikpea as the winner of the Edo Central Senatorial District seat and Omosede Igbinedion as the victor in the Ovia Federal Constituency race.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday, the PDP, through the Elections Secretary of its Edo State Caretaker Committee, Chris Nehikhare, said the results being circulated by INEC were “embarrassing” and did not reflect the will of the people.
“What we witnessed was not a technical failure but a deliberate sabotage by INEC to provide room for manipulation in cohort with the APC,” Nehikhare stated.
“It was a disgrace to democracy and a gross violation of the people’s right to free and fair elections.”
Nehikhare specifically pointed to the malfunction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the elections, claiming it was not a technical glitch but a calculated move to undermine the electoral process.
“BVAS is the single most important tool guaranteeing the credibility of Nigeria’s elections. What happened on Saturday was not an accident.”
“INEC hid under the guise of glitches and malfunctions, but the real issue is the commission’s lack of competence, neutrality, and moral authority.”
He accused the electoral umpire of colluding with the APC to manipulate the process and give the ruling party an unfair advantage.
The PDP also demanded accountability, saying that in any functional democracy, the INEC leadership would have been sacked and prosecuted for repeated failures to conduct transparent elections.
“Nigerians deserve elections that are free, fair, and credible, not ones where the outcome is predetermined. Until INEC is held accountable and elections are transparently conducted, democracy in Nigeria will remain under siege.”
