The Delta All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council disagrees with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of the winner of the 18 March governor’s race in Delta State (INEC).
The Council described the outcome announced by INEC as a pyrrhic win for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which would be reversed by the overwhelming volume of evidence against it, according to a statement from its Director, Communications and Media Strategy, Ima Niboro.
On Monday, INEC announced that Sheriff Oborevwori, the PDP candidate, had won the poll.
Mr. Oborevwori received 360,234 votes in total, defeating Ovie Omo-Agege of the APC, who received 240,229 votes, who was his closest rival.
READ ALSO: Sheriff Oborevwori Defeats Omo-Agege To Win Delta Gubernatorial Election
The APC campaign committee claimed to have proof of the anomalies in the process and the denial of the people of the state’s ability to freely express their opinions while urging its members in the state to remain calm.
The election council went on to say: “We have an entire arsenal of evidence showing the disenfranchisement of the people, non use of, and tampering with BVAS machines, declaring double results at polling units, issuing of fake result sheets to agents and uploading cooked up results into the BVAS.
“We also have evidence of widespread vote suppression, voter intimidation, thuggery and violence against our supporters. The PDP was at its worst during the election: wickedly denying the people of their will freely expressed at the polls.
“Look at the streets of Delta today. It is gloom everywhere. Our people are wearing long, mournful faces. No sign of jubilation anywhere. Our streets would have been throbbing with life, song and dance, were this the will of the people. This rape of the will of the people will not stand. It must not be allowed to stand”.
“We call on our party faithful and supporters to remain calm. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning,” it said.
The deputy senate president, Omo-Agege challenged the results in a separate statement made by his media assistant, Sunny Areh. He said that Mr. Oborevwori was proclaimed the winner despite the many violations and acts of impunity the PDP committed throughout the election.
He noted that of the three senatorial zones in the state, the APC won two, while the PDP controversially defeated the Labour Party in the Delta North Senate race. He claimed that the results of the presidential and National Assembly elections held on February 25 indicated an unambiguous rejection of the PDP.
It claimed to be an unvarnished assessment of Deltans’ performance over the state’s 24 years of PDP rule.
The declaration read, “A while ago, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Delta State announced Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, gubernatorial flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor-elect following the March 18 governorship election.
“The declaration was made despite the myriad of infractions and acts of impunity on the part of the PDP in the course of the election. These were brought to the attention of INEC with incontrovertible proof.
“The March 18 election was characterised by massive fraud, unprecedented vote buying and voter suppression perpetrated by the PDP in the course of the election.
“The fraudulent nature of PDP’s so-called victory are just too damning and daring for it to be acceptable in any decent society. Most of those infractions are on the public domain and known to INEC officials and the security agencies involved in superintending the election.”
“On the basis of the factors listed and more that will come later, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, governorship candidate of the APC in Delta State as well as the leadership of the party, unequivocally reject the declaration by INEC of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori of the PDP as winner of the March 18 governorship election”.
“We will challenge this fraudulent result using all legal means.
“As a democrat and Deputy President of the Senate, Omo-Agege will explore all lawful avenues to reclaim the mandate freely given to him by the good people of Delta State.
“To the numerous supporters of APC and the entire public that share in Omo-Agege’s vision of building a new Delta State, we urge you all to remain calm, peaceful and law abiding.
“I can assure all our teeming supporters and all Deltans that the PDP pyrrhic celebration of a stolen mandate will be short-lived.
“By the grace of God and the clearly expressed wish of the people, this electoral heist will be reversed and Senator Omo-Agege will be sworn in on May 29, 2023 as the lawfully elected Governor of Delta State.”
