Edo Guber: Why I Feel Betrayed By Supreme Court Judgment — Ighodalo

Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21, 2024 Edo election, Asue Ighodalo, has expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court judgment affirming Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Ighodalo said the ruling did not amount to justice.

“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.”

He insisted that what transpired during the election was not a fair contest, but rather “a robbery,” which he said had now been “tragically validated by the highest court in the land.”

“While I will not and can not obstruct any judicial pronouncement, no matter how flawed, I must never fear to speak truth to power,” he added.

He said that although the PDP may not have secured the office, the campaign had awakened a renewed sense of unity among the people.

“We have found one another and discovered our collective strength,” he said. “Though this painful chapter closes today, our beautiful story does not end. The struggle to reclaim the soul of our beloved state continues. Yes, dark days may lie ahead. I fear Edo will feel it in the absence of leadership, in the poverty of policy, and in the daily suffering of her people.”

Ighodalo, however, urged Governor Okpebholo to lead with humility and a sense of responsibility.

“History sees what the courts may not and it will one day deliver its own verdict,” he said.