Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has strongly criticized the outcome of the Edo State governorship election held on September 21. On Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, as the winner.
In a statement released on Sunday, Fintiri expressed his disappointment, saying, "I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo gubernatorial poll." He condemned the election process, describing it as disgraceful.
Fintiri also addressed claims from the APC that he had falsely announced results, clarifying that he only shared figures from INEC’s IReV portal, which were collected by INEC from local government areas.
He went on to criticize the conduct of APC members during the election, accusing the party’s national chairman of flying into Edo State on election day, despite movement restrictions, and alleging that APC governors used armored escorts to intimidate voters. "This blatant disregard for democratic norms is the real brigade," Fintiri stated.
He further accused INEC of bias and compromising the election in favor of the APC, citing reports of vote-buying, disruption of the collation process, and suspiciously inflated results with more votes than accredited voters.
Fintiri called on Nigerians to condemn what he described as a "rape of democracy" and urged for accountability, stating, "The world is watching, and Nigeria deserves better."
