Deputy Director General of the Edo PDP Governorship Campaign Council, Emmanuel Odigie, has strongly condemned the recent gubernatorial election in Edo State, describing it as a “blatant rape and murder of our democracy.”
In a passionate statement during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Odigie expressed deep disappointment in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he had previously praised as a political mentor and pro-democracy activist. He lamented that such alleged electoral malpractices could occur under Tinubu’s administration, calling it a “sham” and “disgraceful impunity” unworthy of 21st-century Nigeria.
He said, “I have been mocked, I have been laughed at, that I came on national TV to say that President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was my political mentor, a frontline activist, a frontline pro democracy activist, the leader of progressive democrats in Nigeria. I am ashamed, I am sad, I am pained that under his watch, such a sham, with disgraceful impunity, that such criminality will take place in a state in Nigeria in the 21st century.”
Odigie detailed what he described as unprecedented levels of intimidation and force during the election. He alleged that APC governors arrived with thousands of unaccredited security personnel, creating an atmosphere of fear and coercion. “I saw brutal force in Edo. Some governors came with 3,000 policemen from their various states to brutalise Edo people,” he claimed. “It was horror, it was terrible. We’ve never seen anything like this in this state.”
The PDP official drew a stark contrast between this election and the one conducted under former President Goodluck Jonathan, which he praised for its credibility. He criticised Adams Oshiomhole, a beneficiary of that earlier election, for now celebrating what Odigie sees as a deeply flawed process.
Responding to allegations from PDP Chieftain Ikenga Ugochinyere that senior PDP members were behind the electoral irregularities, Odigie dismissed these claims as “funny.” He instead framed the election as a “vendetta fight” against Governor Godwin Obaseki, suggesting that political figures disgruntled with Obaseki’s governance style had conspired to “disgrace him out of office.”
He said, “It is evidently clear that the fight against Asue Ighodalo was a vendetta fight against Godwin Obaseki. The political class who felt that the man refused to open the vaults of Edo to them to satisfy their insatiable wants became his enemies and vowed that they would do whatever it takes to ensure that they disgrace him out of office.”
Odigie emphasised that the election results did not reflect the will of Edo people or serve to strengthen democratic institutions. He reiterated his dismay that such events could occur under President Tinubu’s watch, calling it “sad and painful.”
Odigie stated, “It is sad and painful that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu under his watchful eyes will allow such a sham and disgraceful impunity in a democracy.”
Melissa Enoch
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