The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) announced on Monday that it has filed a petition to contest the results of the September 21 governorship election. At a press conference in Benin, the party’s state chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, confirmed that the petition was successfully submitted on Saturday, just ahead of the deadline, despite facing several obstacles.

Aziegbemi accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of attempting to obstruct the PDP’s right to challenge the election results in court. He expressed confidence that the party would reclaim what he referred to as its “stolen mandate,” urging the people of Edo to remain optimistic about the outcome. “We have filed our petition before the election tribunal on your behalf. I assure you that the journey to reclaim our mandate has begun, and by God’s grace, it will be retrieved,” he stated.

He criticized INEC for allegedly delaying the release of Certified True Copies of electoral materials, claiming that the commission was acting in favor of the All Progressives Congress (APC). “Despite INEC acting as the political wing of the APC, we were still able to do the needful,” Aziegbemi remarked.

In response to accusations that the PDP disrupted the inspection of electoral materials at the INEC office, Aziegbemi questioned the rationale behind such actions. “In whose interest would it be to disrupt a process we applied for and were granted permission by the court to carry out?” he asked.

Furthermore, he raised concerns about the ongoing arrests of PDP members following the election, alleging that those implicated in the killing of Inspector Akor Onuh were released after paying substantial bail fees of about N64 million. “More of our members have been arrested on false allegations of killing SP Akor. How low can the police go under this biased IGP, who seems to be leading the APC’s armed wing?” Aziegbemi added.

The situation highlights the tensions surrounding the recent election and the PDP’s determination to challenge the results through legal channels, reflecting ongoing political conflicts in Edo State.