The PDP Governorship Candidate in the last Edo Governorship contest, Barrister Asuen Ighodalo, has described the Supreme Court judgement as a sham and a daylight robbery on democracy.
The PDP candidate said the Supreme Court is the highest court he has accepted as the last bus stop, but said it failed to treat the issue at stake with the justice level it requires.
Barrister Asuen, in a statement after the Supreme Court gave its judgement, said it was glaring that what happened during the election was not a contest but a daylight robbery well coordinated and that has been ratified by the judiciary.
Mr Ighodalo said, “Though I accept the finality of its judgment, I do not and cannot pretend that what was delivered amounts to justice.
“What happened in the September 2024 Governorship Election was not a contest. It was a robbery, coordinated, deliberate and now, tragically validated by the highest court in the land.”
He added, “While I will not and can not obstruct any judicial pronouncement, no matter how flawed, I must never fear to speak truth to power.”
Speaking with his fans, the governorship candidate said, “Like you, I feel a deep sense of betrayal. Not just by those who rigged the process, but by the very institutions we trusted to protect our democracy.
“You came out in hope. You voted for competence, for progress, for prosperity.
And now, we are told that your voice does not matter. That your freely given mandate can be trampled without consequence.
“I feel your pain. I share your anger. And I will never forget your courage.
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“To every young person who saw in this moment the birth of a new Edo. To every elder who longed to see our state rise again. To every woman and man who prayed, campaigned, and voted. We may not have won the office, but we won something greater. We found one another. We discovered our collective strength, he encouraged.”
He assured that despite setbacks, “our beautiful story does not end here,” adding, “The struggle to reclaim the soul of our beloved state continues.”
“Yes, dark days may lie ahead. The weight of this illegitimacy will, unfortunately, echo beyond the halls of the Supreme Court. I fear Edo will feel it in the absence of leadership, in the poverty of policy, and the daily suffering of her people.
“But we are neither a fearful nor a broken people. We may be wounded. But all wounds heal.
“So let this be our vow. We will not retreat. We will not be silenced. And we will never forget.
“To those who now hold power undeserved, lead with humility. Govern with conscience. History sees what the courts may not. And one day, it will deliver its own verdict.” The statement concluded.
The Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, had earlier called on Asue to join hands with him to make Edo State better, a call that PDP berated.
