Oshiomhole, PDP Trade Words Over Alleged APC 140,000 Voided Votes

9 years ago

Oshiomhole, PDP Trade Words Over Alleged APC 140,000 Voided Votes

Claims by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State that 140,000 All Progressives Congress, APC, votes were voided in the last presidential election, have been refuted by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state.

In his broadcast to thank the people of the state for voting the APC in the last general elections, Oshiomhole had, said: “lt is on record that Edo State is the only state within the South-East and South-South geo-political zones where the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, secured the highest number of 45 percent of votes cast.

“It is now clear that the about 140,000 votes out of the 150,000 voided, were actually APC votes. If we add 140,000 votes to the 208,000 votes declared by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, it is clear that General Buhari won the election in Edo State.

“I am very excited by this outcome. Indeed, all Nigerians other than those blinded by religious and ethnic sentiments, are proud of the outcome. I am glad that you resisted the subversive generosity, the open monetary inducement displayed by our opponents and you voted for change. I cannot thank you enough for doing us proud in the manner you voted.”

But reacting, state Chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, in a statement in Benin, described Oshiomhole’s claim as untrue, saying: “We consider this utterance as pathetic, to say the least. When did Oshiomhole become a Returning Officer in INEC that he now apportions electoral figures?
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“We had expected Oshiomhole to have learned some lessons in the resounding victory of the PDP in the election but we have again seen that the governor has not desisted from his old ways of playing on the intelligence of Edo people.”

Orbih insisted that the governor was economical with the truth, saying: “To set the record straight, 97,414 out of the cancelled 150,000 votes were in respect of the cancelled votes in Orhiomwon Local Government Area where no vote was recorded.

“They were not voided but cancelled votes. Orhionmwon council was not captured in the election and the entire people who collected PVCs in the council were disenfranchised.”