EDO: ‘I weep for Nigeria’s democracy,’ Gov Fintiri condemns election

On Sunday, 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.

But in a statement, Fintiri said he wept for Nigeria’s democracy, describing the exercise as shameful.

“I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo Gubernatorial poll. 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,” Fintiri said.

“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 armoured escorts to intimidate voters.

“This blatant disregard for democratic norms is the real brigandage. 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.

“We must condemn this rape of democracy and demand accountability. The world is watching, and Nigeria deserves better.”