Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has condemned the outcome of the Edo State governorship election, calling the process a “shameful” reflection of Nigeria’s democratic values.
On Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the September 21 governorship poll.
However, Fintiri expressed his dismay in a statement released on Sunday.
“I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo Gubernatorial poll,” Fintiri said.
“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.”
The governor criticized the actions of the APC during the election, stating, “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 armored escorts to intimidate voters.”
Fintiri described this behavior as a “blatant disregard for democratic norms,” and claimed that Nigerians are rightly outraged.
“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.”
He called for accountability and a collective condemnation of what he termed a “rape of democracy,” stressing, “The world is watching, and Nigeria deserves better.”