The Labour Party Caucus in the House of Representatives has rejected the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, claiming that the party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata, was rigged out.
The caucus made their stance clear during a press conference at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Speaking on behalf of the caucus, George Ozodinobi, the Deputy Minority Whip of the House, described the election results as “the highest theft of the season,” adding that “the electorate were clearly robbed of their votes, and their will and wishes dashed”.
Ozodinobi, flanked by other caucus members, said the Labour Party and its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, campaigned vigorously but were still allocated a paltry number of votes.
“It is on record that our leader and presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, His Excellency Peter Obi, campaigned vigorously for our gubernatorial candidate in every nook and cranny of the state.
“Of course, the whole world witnessed the massive crowds that the Obidient movement pulled wherever he went during the campaign. Yet, Chief Akpata was allocated paltry votes in a state where, just about a year and seven months ago, the Labour Party had one Senator and two House of Reps members,” he said.
When asked if the party would challenge the election outcome in court, the lawmaker responded that consultations are ongoing.