Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the recent Edo State governorship election, has rejected an offer of friendship from Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, while revealing his intention to challenge the election outcome in court.

Speaking during an interview on Politics Today, aired on Channels Television, Ighodalo expressed dissatisfaction with the election results, accusing the APC of collaborating with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to undermine his victory. He firmly stated that his mandate had been stolen.

The final tally saw Ighodalo finish second with 247,274 votes, while Okpebholo of the APC won the election with 291,667 votes. The Labour Party candidate, Olumide Akpata, placed third with 22,763 votes.

Ighodalo highlighted several significant issues during the electoral process. These included the failure to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in more than 160 polling units, improper collation of results from the ward level to the state level, and alleged voter suppression orchestrated by a collusion between INEC, the police, and the APC.

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Furthermore, Ighodalo criticized the APC for engaging in vote-buying, claiming that voters were offered sums ranging from N25,000 to N50,000 to secure their support. He emphasized that his party refrained from such practices, maintaining their integrity throughout the electoral process.

Ighodalo confirmed that he plans to take his case to the election tribunal, expressing confidence that the evidence will prove that the PDP was the rightful winner. He also made it clear that while the election results remain contested, he cannot accept any offer of friendship from Okpebholo.

“I stand with the people of Edo State who freely gave me their mandate,” Ighodalo declared, “and I will take this matter to the courts and the tribunal to reclaim our rightful mandate and form the government.”