Fintiri reacts to INEC’s delcaration of Okpebholo as winner of Edo poll; Tinubu congratulates Okpebholo, says victory a call to service

Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party Committee on Edo state governorship election, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa state says he is weeping for the nation democracy over the outcome of the election.

Fintiri, the Governor of Adamawa State in a statement he personally signed and made available to the press said he weeps for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo Gubernatorial poll on Saturday.

The Governor said that the APC’s desperate attempts to discredit him by falsely claiming he announced results won’t distract him from the real issue.

According to him, he merely shared results from INEC’s Irev portal, as collated by INEC from the various Local Government Areas and wondered why he will be accused of announcing election result.

He said “What’s truly shameful is APC’s national chairman flying into Edo with a private jet on election day, defying movement restrictions, while their Governors used armored escorts to intimidate voters.

“This blatant disregard for democratic norms is the real brigandage,” he said.

He added that Nigerians are outraged, slamming INEC for compromising and favoring APC.

‘”The reported vote-buying, disruption of collation processes, and suspicious results with more votes than accredited voters undermine trust in our democracy’.

“Democracy indeed is under attack. We must condemn this rape of democracy and demand accountability. The world is watching, and Nigeria deserves better.” Fintiri said

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Saturday’s Edo State governorship election, on his victory at the polls, urging him to see his victory as a challenging call to service.

Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, in a statement on Sunday, said President Tinubu Commended the APC national leaders, Edo State leaders, and party governors for working hard to achieve victory.

He noted that “the victory testified to the people’s support for the ruling party, its progressive ideals, its economic reengineering programme and its commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians.

He however, charged Okpebholo not to gloat over his victory but to see it as a challenging call to service.

He encouraged him to demonstrate magnanimity by reaching out to his political rivals and uniting the people of Edo State to ensure its development.