The Edo State Chapter Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Kelly Ogbalo, has claimed that the party would have won the state governorship election if it had been conducted fairly. Ogbalo, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Monday, pointed to serious irregularities, such as open vote-buying, which he said went unchecked by security agencies.
Ogbalo emphasized that the manipulation of votes and disregard for electoral integrity cost the Labour Party its victory. “Labour Party won the election but was not allowed to take possession,” he said. He also described the election as compromised and called for better oversight in future elections.
When asked whether LP would challenge the results in court, Ogbalo noted that the party had not yet convened a state council meeting to make a decision on that. He further stressed that the party was still reviewing its options.
Recall that on September 22, 2024, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the Edo governorship election, securing 291,667 votes. Okpebholo defeated the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Asue Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes, while Labour Party’s candidate, Mr. Olumide Akpata, finished third with 22,763 votes.
“Vote-buying and manipulation of results tainted the electoral process. The security agencies failed to curb these activities, and as a result, the people’s mandate was stolen,” Ogbalo concluded.
