Asue Ighodalo faults Supreme Court ruling, says judgment betrayed voters

|By Adejumo Adekunle-

-PDP candidate claims electoral robbery validated by judiciary

Mr Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the upcoming Edo State governorship election, has expressed deep disappointment over the Supreme Court’s ruling against his bid, describing the verdict as a betrayal of democratic values and the will of the people.

In a statement personally signed and released in Abuja shortly after the apex court’s judgment on Thursday, Ighodalo accepted the finality of the decision but rejected its substance, saying, “I do not and cannot pretend that what was delivered amounts to justice.”

The PDP candidate accused those behind the election process of staging what he described as an electoral robbery, which he claims was “coordinated, deliberate, and now, tragically validated by the highest court in the land.”

“While I will not and cannot obstruct any judicial pronouncement, no matter how flawed, I must never fear to speak truth to power,” Ighodalo said, vowing to remain vocal in the face of what he termed a failed democratic process.

He lamented that institutions designed to uphold democracy had failed the electorate. “Like you, 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.”

The PDP flag bearer, who had run on a platform of competence, economic progress, and good governance, assured supporters that their efforts had not gone unnoticed.

“You came out in hope. You voted for competence, for progress, for prosperity. And now we are told your voice does not matter. That your freely given mandate can be trampled without consequence,” he said.

Ighodalo ended his statement with an emotional nod to the resilience of his supporters. “I feel your pain. I share your anger. And I will never forget your courage.”

The Supreme Court ruling marks the end of legal contests over the PDP governorship candidacy ahead of the Edo election scheduled for September 2024.