By Lucky Isibor
The candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party PRP in the September Edo State governorship election, Patience Ndidi Key has described the election as a sham and celebration of rigging, noting that the election was a contest of ideas, policies or the will of the people, alleging that vote buying was the order of the day by the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party ,PDP) and Labour Party (LP).
Ndidi Key stated this while addressing the press at the press centre of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Monday, 30 September on the outcome of the 21, September Edo State governorship election, where candidate of the APC, Senator Monday Okpebholo was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The election was not a contest of ideas, policies, or the will of the people—it was the most rigged, orchestrated by the three so-called “popular” parties: the APC, PDP, and LP. In truth, the people of Edo State had no interest in voting for APC, PDP, or LP. These parties have, over the years, systematically impoverished our state, stripped us of dignity, and left our infrastructure, economy, and human capital in shambles”.
While enumerating the evil consequences of vote buying and selling to include poor governance, lack of development and erosion of human capital, the PRP candidate appealed to the people not to relent in their quest for the enthronement of good governance and urged them to continue to demand transparency and accountability from those voted into public office.
“When politicians buy their way into office, they owe no loyalty to the people—only to themselves and their financiers. The result is poor governance, corruption, and a lack of accountability. Infrastructure remains decayed, the healthcare system collapses, and our education system continues to crumble. Vote buying keeps the corrupt cycle alive. Our youths, women, and men are deprived of opportunities to improve their lives. A state governed by those who buy votes cannot invest in education, skill acquisition, or any meaningful human capital .
“We nust not relent respite the manipulation and the setbacks, I remain steadfast in my believe that a better Edo State is possible. We must not give up. We must continue to stand against the forces that seek to exploit our people.
“We must reject the idea that hunger should force us to sell our dignity, votes, and our future. Instead, we must fight for a system where our votes count, and our leaders are accountable to us—the people they’re elected to serve.
Let us rebuild our state together, Let us demand more from our leaders and from ourselves, let us never forget that the eyes of Edo sons and daughters are watching, and we will not stay silent in the face of injustice and corruption”.