Edo Guber: Accord candidate heads to Tribunal ,alleges manipulation ,rigging In favour of APC

…..wants to be declared winner

By Titus Akhigbe

The candidate of the Accord in the just held Edo State Governorship election, Dr Bright Enabulele has challenged the process which produced Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ,at the Election petitions tribunal, claiming it was manipulated.

Enabulele alleged that the election was characterized by electoral malpractices by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and pleaded in his petition that he should be declared as the winner of the September, 21st , 2024 governorship election in the state.

He claimed that the results were manipulated while citing his experience at Ward 5 St Saviour Ivbiyeneva Primary School unit 1 in the Ikpoba/Okha local government area, where he voted on live TV , but officially received zero votes.

Speaking to journalists in Benin City after his counsel submitted his petition to the election tribunal, Enabulele said, his prayers to the tribunal was to declare him winner of the election or cancel the entire exercise, adding ,”there was fraud , intimidation , deliberate announcement of wrong results by INEC”.

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The Accord candidate said he was not against the winner of the election, but the process leading to the acclaimed victory and maintained that the BVAS was there to reduce human interference,but that the BVAS was manipulated.

He said the court order obtained by the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) was wrong as the BVAS was supposed to serve as evidence in court ,when the tribunal begins to sit.His words:

” The case is against two parties ,the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who conducted the election and the APC candidate (Monday Okpebholo) that they declared winner. The reason for the challenge is due to non- compliance of the electoral process. My mandate was stolen,there was fraud, intimidation and deliberate announcement of wrong results.

“Nigeria is a country governed by rule of law. I have been crying many days now due to the outcome of the election. We cannot continue to rely on human interference. The BVAS was made to reduce human interference, but the BVAS was manipulated, there was manipulation at the collation process. Many agents were intimidated to sign wrong results.”

Continuing, Enabulele said. “We are telling Nigerians that the most important thing is how our leaders emerge. If the process is wrong, then we can never get it right. I am not against the winner of the election, but against how the winner emerged, if somebody wins let him win correctly,if he loses,let him lose correctly.

“We can not allow people’s votes to be stolen, it doesn’t matter whether it was 100 or 200. For me, my mandate was stolen. They should declare me winner or cancel the election.

“I was told that PDP obtained court order to inspect BVAS, for me again ,it is wrong. Nobody should be given access to the BVAS, because it is supposed to serve as evidence in the court. You cannot go to court without an evidence. It is not about winning or losing,but that the will of the people should stand. Democracy is about the will of the people “, he posited.