Inside Nigeria
‘I weep for Nigeria’s democracy,’ Gov Fintiri condemns Edo guber election outcome
Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has expressed strong disapproval of the recently concluded Edo State governorship election, in which Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a statement issued on Sunday, Fintiri described the election as “shameful” and lamented the state of Nigeria’s democracy, stating that he was moved to tears over the developments.
“I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo Gubernatorial poll. The APC’s desperate attempts to discredit me by falsely claiming I announced results won’t distract from the real issue. I merely shared results from INEC’s Irev portal, as collated by INEC from the various Local Government Areas,” Fintiri said.
“What’s truly shameful is APC’s national chairman flying into Edo with a private jet on election day, defying movement restrictions, while their Governors used armoured escorts to intimidate voters.
“This blatant disregard for democratic norms is the real brigandage. Nigerians are outraged, slamming INEC for compromising and favoring APC. The reported vote-buying, disruption of collation processes, and suspicious results with more votes than accredited voters undermine trust in our democracy. Democracy indeed is under attack.
“We must condemn this rape of democracy and demand accountability. The world is watching, and Nigeria deserves better.”
More to follow…