November 11, (THEWILL) – A Few hours after Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State dissolved his cabinet last Friday ahead of Governor-elect Monday Okpebholo’s swearing-in ceremony scheduled to take place on Nov. 12, 2024, the Edo State’s chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, inaugurated the caretaker committee members set up by the party’s National Working Committee to run the party’s affairs, pending the election of new executives.
Chaired by Dr Tony Aziegbemi with Hon. Henry Duke Tenebe as Secretary, alongside Harrison Omagbon, Fidel Igenegbale, Chris Nehikhare, Tony Anenih Jnr, Archbishop Anthony Okosun, Segun Saiki, Adezat Ibrahim and Augustine Edosomwan as members, the caretaker exco was charged by the outgoing governor to work hard with stakeholders to “reclaim its mandate stolen by the All Progressives Congress during the September 21 governorship poll.”
Also present at the meeting were local government chairmen, party chieftains and other party stakeholders who the departing governor urged to maintain the unity and cohesion that have held the party together and will help the party to pursue the judicial process to reclaim its mandate to its logical conclusion.
Obaseki said, “We want a cohesive party as we fight for our stolen mandate and I am sure we will get it back. Our mandate was stolen in broad daylight. Everybody saw how it was stolen. We have evidence to show how our mandate was stolen and by the grace of God, we will recover it. It will be difficult for them to go away with this stolen mandate. We have a process in government. They stole our mandate, yes but we have laws and there is a way things are done. We are inaugurating a new government in Edo State and the Edo State Government is not involved.
“People behave as if there is no law, forgetting that we are guided by constitution and law. There are procedures to handle things. They are doing an inauguration and the governor is not even invited. It is like they are starting a brand new government and a brand-new state.
“Illegality parades the land and we have to be patient for a while as our democracy must work. We know how they stole our mandate; we have evidence of how they stole it but let’s see how they get out of this.
“Our people came out to cast their votes for our party. We are challenging that result and we know victory will be ours. Let’s play our parts as politicians. We know these people are great liars and good at deception. We have to be out there talking and never allow their lies to take over.
“The tribunal hearing will start by December and we want the people to be alert. The people are asking questions; it shows they are interested. The greatest thing we need now is harmony in the party and we need to talk to our people more now. The party must be in touch with the local government chairmen every week. The party must be in touch with the House of Assembly members; let the people know what is going on.
“In this holiday period, they will want to spend as much money as possible to confuse the people. They are going to struggle to change their perception. We have almost N27 billion to pay for projects and obligations, but they have started blowing it, and they have gone to borrow money for the inauguration which is going to cost them N2bn to N5bn. That is the money they will first take from the treasury.”
He added, “This our stolen mandate. We will get it back, for the sake of Nigeria. If we allow the APC to go with our stolen mandate, it will mark the end of democracy in Nigeria. This fight is not for our candidate, but for the people of Nigeria and our nation’s democracy.”
THEWILL recalls that the governorship candidate of the party, Asue Ighodalo, had on October 10, 2024 filed his petition at the Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and declared that he had absolute faith in the ability of the judiciary to deliver justice on the petition.
He insisted that notwithstanding the notion or perception of many people, as a lawyer of 40 years, his faith in the judiciary to remedy every wrong remains unshaken. He pointed to the litany of cases that followed his nomination as the candidate of the PDP, saying “I won all the 15 cases that were brought against me from the primary. And so, I cannot say I don’t have faith in the judiciary. I certainly do. It remains the last hope of the common man.”
Ighodalo narrated how the party, its supporters and stakeholders remained unshaken in the face of provocation before, during and after the election, by the trio of the police and some compromised staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, who brazenly manipulated and distorted the results of the election which clearly showed that the PDP won.
Reiterating his commitment to pursue the petition to its logical conclusion in anticipation of reclaiming his ‘stolen mandate’, Ighodalo on Friday charged the party to be ready for a tough battle and the journey ahead.
He thanked Governor Obaseki for his leadership and commitment to good governance for Edo people and urged everyone to remain focused on the mission to reclaim the mandate.
Ighodalo said, “We expect them to reply to our petition next week. We also have five days to reply to their petition. This will take us to about the 19th of November 2024. We will then start what is called the pre-hearing before the major hearing which may start by the end of November.
“Our lawyers are working and are ready to reply to their petition. Times are hard and we are in difficult times; we should stand firm and be strong as we navigate the journey to reclaim our stolen mandate.”
Meanwhile, the transition committee of the governor-elect, Okpebholo, has overcome the initial inter-party squabbles with the outgoing administration over administrative matters and he is looking forward to the November 12 swearing-in date.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
