Former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has reacted to the Supreme Court judgment affirming the election of Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor of Edo State.
In a statement, Obaseki said that while he believed that the election was won by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Asue Ighodalo, he and other supporters of the party were bound by the verdict of the apex court.
Obaseki also said that he was profoundly grateful to the good people of Edo State and Nigerians for their overwhelming support for the victory, which he believed was won by the PDP.
According to him, “It is based on this conviction, and our belief that the results were manipulated that we took steps to seek legal redress, beginning with the Election Petition Tribunal, then the Court of Appeal, and finally, the Supreme Court.”
Although Obaseki strongly disagreed with the decision of the Supreme Court, he acknowledged that as adherents to the rule of law, they were bound by the verdict.
He cautioned that the manner in which the election was conducted, coupled with the judicial validation it has received, portends grave danger for Nigeria’s democracy.
Obaseki encouraged the people of Delta to keep hope alive, saying, “As people of faith, we leave our matter in God’s hands, trusting that only He knows the appropriate time and manner to deliver divine justice and redemption to our people.”
He urged the people to persist in the struggle to redeem their fatherland.
The Supreme Court had dismissed the appeal filed by the PDP and Ighodalo, holding that they could not establish their claims of election non-compliance, unlawful votes, and that Okpebholo was not duly elected.
The court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, affirming Okpebholo’s election as the governor of Edo State.
While Okpebholo extended a “sincere olive branch to all his opponents and members of the opposition,” Ighodalo faulted the court’s decision, describing it as a betrayal.
Ighodalo expressed a deep sense of betrayal, not just by those who rigged the process, but by the institutions trusted to protect democracy.
