By Eben Enasco Kingsley, Benin City
The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, and its Flag-bearer in the just concluded Governorship election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, today joined teaming supporters to protests against the outcome of the election result which declared All Progressive Congress Party Flag-bearer Mr. Godwin Obaseki winner; saying, God mandated him to recover his victory.
The protest which was marred with various placards inscriptions like’ return our mandate’, began from Ikpoba slope junction along Akpakpava Street through Second East Circular to New Lagos road and other major streets within Benin City metropolis.
The Protesters in their numbers, who where on black attires as a symbol of mourning what they described as death of democracy, lamented the ugly precedent set by the denial of what they alleged as their victory stolen.
Addressing the mammoth crowed of protesters, the besieged the protest match, Pastor Ize-Iyamu said God has told him to, “pursue and recover”, his mandate which he claimed he was robbed of by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Pastor Ize-Iyamu stressed that he is committed to seeking justice over what he termed fake results declared by INEC.
While speaking further,Ize-Iyamu vowed to pursue the case from the tribunal through the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court, if necessary.
He said it was lamentable that those who were given victory by INEC were ashamed of celebrating the victory.
He said, “Let me assure you that the robbery of the Edo peoples mandate will not stand. In the past few days I have been seeking the face of God. I asked him what do I do: do I leave them to their fate? Do I Walk away? And God gave me a word. He said, ‘pursue and recover’.
“I have not come out since the fake results but many of you said, this mandate is beyond Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu; ‘even if he sits at home we will not sit at home’. Because you voted and your vote must count. Despite the fake results you have refused to be violent. Properties have not been destroyed. No life is lost. Edo is in a state of mourning like a graveyard because the people’s mandate has been robbed. But let me assure you that that at the end of the day we will win, because God has said so. We will win because Edo people voted for us and we won the election”.
Chief Dan Orbih, the State chairman of the party said the party would do everything to defend democracy.
His words: “We are going to defend our right to freely elect our governor. We have a right as a people to decide to elect our governor. That we have done and together we are going to retrieve our mandate”.
The protest tagged, “Mother of all Protests”, was coordinated by the Centre for Patriotic Leadership Initiative (CPLI), a leadership and rights advocacy NGO, led by Saint Moses Eromonsele.
