Edo PDP leaders protest to INEC, vow to reclaim stolen mandate 

• Shaibu warns against looting govt properties ahead of Obaseki’ exit
• Edo Speaker congratulates governor-elect, Okpebholo on victory 

Leaders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State on Wednesday led a protest at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Edo State office, to register their displeasure over the outcome of the governorship election.

The protesters include the Chairman of Edo State chapter of PDP, Anthony Aziegbemi; campaign director general, Mathew Iduoriyekemwen; deputy director general (Media and Publicity), Rev. Olu Martins and other leaders of the party.

The protesters who carried different placards with various inscriptions demanded that INEC return the stolen mandate of Edo people in the last governorship election and announce its party governorship candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo, as the authentic winner of the election.

The protests, which disrupted vehicular movement for several hours at the ever-busy Auchi-Benin expressway, had hundreds of protesters chanting solidarity songs in the watchful eyes of the police stationed at the INEC office.

Addressing the protesters, Aziegbemi said the rationale for the protest was to inform the world that INEC changed the result of the election as PDP won the election.

“We thank you all for coming out today on a journey to reclaim the mandate stolen from us by the police and INEC as they subverted the will of Edo people. If we had lost this election in a free and fair contest, we would have congratulated them, but because they stole our mandate, we can’t congratulate them.

“We are sure that we will recover our mandate as the preliminary analysis we have done shows that this election was won clearly by Asue Ighodalo and we will present the case to the tribunal. We believe that the tribunal is made up of men and women of integrity and they will look at the evidence before them and conclude that PDP won the election. We are going to the tribunal with an open mind.”

HOWEVER, the reinstated deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, yesterday warned Permanent Secretaries in the state government to be on the lookout to stop the incidence of looting of government properties which may come up in the twilight of the outgoing administration of the Governor Godwin Obaseki. He gave the warning at the end of a tour of the facilities at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, which he undertook on Wednesday.

“We, politicians, some of you that were elected and those that are appointed are temporary staff. We have tenure, when the tenure ends, we go. The permanent people are the staff of the ministries and permanent secretaries. This is a warning to any Permanent Secretary that allows any commissioner or government appointee to take away any government property that they would be held responsible.”

Meanwhile, the Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA) on Wednesday announced the recall of two lawmakers, Donald Okogbe and Adeh Isibor, after five months on suspension.

The House had on May 6 suspended Donald Okogbe (PDP-Akoko-Edo II), Adeh Isibor (APC-Esan North-East I) and Bright Iyamu (Orhiomwon South) over an alleged plot to impeach the Speaker and other principal officers. However, Iyamu was recalled in June, having been found remorseful according to the Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku.

At the resumption of the plenary in Benin, the Speaker said the House had agreed that the two remaining lawmakers on suspension be recalled.

Earlier, the Speaker congratulated the governor-elect, Monday Okpebholo, on his victory at the just concluded poll. Agbebaku said the governor-elect was for the Edo people and not for the All Progressives Congress (APC) alone and prayed that sycophants do not mislead him.