The women wing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State chapter, has said they would continue with their ongoing peaceful protest over an alleged stolen of the party’s mandate unless it is being restored to the party’s flagbearer in the September 21 election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo.
Clothed in blacks with placards of various inscriptions that read thus “INEC sack Edo State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, “Edo PDP won the election but INEC and police colluded to change it” and many more, the women took their protest march through some major streets of Benin before arriving at the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State council, Benin.
Recall that the PDP candidate in the election, Dr Asue Ighodalo and his party had obtained a court-enrolled order directing the commission, among others, to hand over the comprehensive list of all the materials available in its custody for the inspection of Ighodalo and the PDP and “the taking of the Certified True Copy thereof.”
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Addressing journalists in Benin, spokesperson for the group and former chairman of Esan West Local Government Council, Stella Okoro, said they are deeply pained over the outcome of the just concluded Edo State governorship election.
She alleged that the PDP’s governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo was the duly elected candidate but his mandate was subverted.
“We are here today in NUJ, to express our feelings and our pains. We are troubled because of our stolen mandate. Our stolen mandate is what we are asking for.
“We are not lions and tigers, we voted. Edo people came out to vote for Asue Ighodalo and that is why we mothers are here today, we are in pains, we are mourning, we are on blacks, telling them to give us back our stolen mandate.
“Our stolen mandate, that mandate was given to Asue Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie.
“Now the lions and tigers are now out to come and claim what does not belong to them.
“We tell them no. It is our mandate.
“We are calling on the INEC, we are calling on the police, we are calling on the soldiers that they used to intimidate us, that they used to rob us.
“Before the election, they were embarrassing our sons and daughters.
“They arrested our people and they were taken to Abuja, some were in the State CID. We know what we passed through to bring back our children. We are not happy. We have never seen this kind of election before.
“Upon all the intimidation, upon all the money they spent, Edo people said no. It is Asue Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie they want and they did and they won.
“Give us our mandate or else we will not rest until they give it to us. The almighty God is hearing the women’s voice”, Okoro said.
Also speaking, the Oredo women leader, Lady Meg Agbokhai, said the party laboured and toiled for their victory and that they will not fold their arms and allow their mandate given to Asue Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie to be stolen adding that they will do everything possible to reclaim it.
“We don’t have lions and we don’t have tigers. Human beings came out to vote for PDP in Edo state. We are begging the people in the name of the Almighty, to give us our mandate.
“We worked so hard for our mandate. We toured the 192 wards we have in Edo state, and the people of Edo state came out en masse to vote for us.
“In the name of God Almighty, we are begging you to give us our mandate, Edo people are mourning, we are in tears”, Aigbkhai said.
and then