The stage is set for the Edo State governorship election, scheduled for September 21, 2024, as the ruling opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), held its mega rally in Benin City. The party issued a stern warning against any attempts to rig the election.
The mega rally, held at the Garrick Memorial Field on Ekenwan Road on Saturday, was led by the Acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, and attended by the party’s presidential candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, among other top party officials.
Addressing the large crowd of party supporters, Damagum described the governorship election as a test for the country’s democracy, urging Nigerians to focus their attention on the state.
The PDP National Chairman expressed his ‘shock’ at the large turnout of supporters despite the mass arrests of PDP members in the state. He warned, “You have to kill or arrest all of us if you have to take this state. You may have gangs, but we have God. To INEC, we don’t want that midnight result announcement.
It is not a threat, but we will defend our votes with our blood.” He assured that the PDP would continue to provide good governance for Edo State and presented what he called the “flag of victory” to the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo.
Damagum called on Nigerians and the international community to stay alert and monitor the Edo election closely to prevent manipulation. He also urged security agencies to uphold professionalism and justice, reminding them that they are paid with taxpayer money. “From your campaign trains, the people of Edo accepted our candidate. They have decided to vote against insecurity, hunger, and bad governance.
I want to tell our security agencies that you are paid with taxpayers’ money, and you must uphold the values for which you were created. If you choose to participate in wrongdoing, let me make this very clear: you have to kill or arrest all of us if you want to take this state. We will be here, ready to give our vote and blood for our rights,” Damagum reassured.
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Also addressing the crowd, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar said, “In 2020, they said they would not allow us to win, but we showed them that Edo is not Lagos. This time again, we will show them that Edo is not Lagos. You can’t come and steal votes here in Edo. Therefore, protect your votes, defend them, and make sure they are counted. Nobody can change your votes, and you are winning come September 21.”
Governor Godwin Obaseki, while addressing the rally, lamented the previous administration’s lack of respect for the people and women. “Women were going into trafficking and prostitution under the previous administration, but that is no longer the case. When I came, they said teachers could not read and were abandoned, but today Edo is number one in education.
Civil servants were not paid on time, but now we have the best civil service in Nigeria. Pensioners were in distress, but now they are well taken care of. We have Edo Jobs, Edo Innovate, and the Edo Creative Hub. After eight years of these achievements, do you want to go back? Edo is the safest state in Southern Nigeria, and our vigilante is the best trained in Nigeria. Yet, they want to remove them.”
The governor warned that plans to rig the election represent an existential threat. “This election is a do-or-die because if they win, we will suffer. Do you want insecurity? Do you want people who didn’t go to school to lead us? Next Saturday, you will vote for PDP, and our next governor will be Asue Ighodalo.”
The Chairman of the National Campaign Council for the Edo 2024 Governorship Election and Governor of Adamawa State, His Excellency Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, warned against compromising the electoral process.
“We cannot be intimidated. We know how to win elections. Nobody will rig us out. You cannot, at this point in our history, where insecurity is rampant, bring someone who has said he will bring insecurity to Edo,” Fintiri said. He urged people to come out en masse on September 21 and vote for the PDP candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, adding, “We know how to win the election.”
Fintiri also noted that Edo is known as the cradle of civilization and intellectualism in Nigeria and emphasized that the state must not settle for less.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, urged the Edo electorate to vote for Ighodalo, stating that he is the right candidate to lead the state. Moro noted the economic challenges faced since the PDP left power in 2015, highlighting the significant rise in the cost of living.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Bauchi, Bala Mohammed, refuted claims of division among PDP governors, asserting their unity and support for Obaseki and Ighodalo.
In his welcome address, the state PDP Chairman, Anthony Aziegbemi, stated that Edo people would not be intimidated, and the final rally marked the rebirth of the PDP.
The PDP governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, after receiving the party’s flag from the Acting National Chairman, promised to build on the development foundation laid by Obaseki.
The rally was attended by all PDP governors, the Speakers of Edo and Delta states, PDP senators and House of Representatives members, religious leaders, and PDP women and youth leaders, among others.
