By Lucky Isibor
The last may not have been heard about the 21 September Edo State governorship election as Edo women, Tuesday staged a protest to condemn the alleged manipulation of the election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the electoral umpire,the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, claiming that the election was won by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Asuerimen Ighodalo.
The women wing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State chapter, yesterday, said they would continue with their ongoing peaceful protest over an alleged stolen of the party’s mandate unless it is being restored to its rightful owner.
The women who were clad in black attires carried placards of various inscriptions that read thus”INEC sack Edo State INEC Resident Electoral Commission, Edo PDP won the election but INEC and police colluded to change it and many more, just as they were invoking inprecations against certain individuals and politicians they alleged joined in the alleged collision. They took their protest march through some major streets of Benin before arriving at the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Edo State Council, Benin.
Addressing Journalists, spokesperson for the group and former chairman of Esan West Local Government Council, Stella Okoro, said they are pained over the outcome of the just concluded Edo State governorship election.
She alleged that the PDP’s governorship candidate, Asuerimen Ighodalo was the duly elected candidate but his mandate was stollen.
“We are here today in NUJ, to express our feelings, our pains. We are troubled because of our stolen mandate. Our stolen mandate is what we are asking for.
“We are not lions and tigers, we voted. Edo people came out to vote for Asue Ighodalo and that is why we mothers are here today, we are in pains, we are mourning, we are in black, telling them to give us back our stolen mandate.
“Our stolen mandate, that mandate was given to Asuerimen Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie. Now the lions and tigers are now out to come and claim what does not belong to them.
“We tell them no. It is our mandate. We are calling on the INEC, we are calling on the police, we are calling on the soldiers that they used to intimidate us, that they used to rob us. Before the election, they were embarrassing our sons and daughters.
“They arrested our people and they were taken to Abuja, some were in the State CID. We know what we passed through to bring back our children. We are not happy. We have never seen this kind of election before.
“Upon all the intimidation, upon all the money they spent, Edo people said no. It is Asuerimen Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie they want and they did and they won.
“Give us our mandate or else we will not rest until they give it to us. The almighty God is hearing the women’s voice”, Okoro said.
Also speaking, the Oredo womn leader of PDP, Lady Meg Agbokhai, said the party laboured and toiled for their victory and that they will not fold their arms and allow the mandate given to Asuerimen Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie to be stolen adding that they will do everything possible to reclaim it.
“We don’t have lions and we don’t have tigers. Human beings came out to vote for PDP in Edo state. We are begging the people in the name of the Almighty, to give us our mandate.
“We worked so hard for our mandate. We toured the 192 wards we have in Edo state, and the people of Edo state came out enmass to vote for us.
“In the name of God Almighty, we are begging you to give us our mandate, Edo people are mourning, we are in tears”, Aigbkhai said.
The electoral umpire INEC had on 22 September declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the APC as the winner of the Edo State governorship election held Saturday, 21 September.