The governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party, (YPP), Sunny Ofehe has decried high levels of voters inducement during Saturday’s election in Delta State.
Ofehe lamented that the route to becoming governor of the state is sold to the highest bidder as against the will of the people.
The YPP candidate said this via a statement on Monday in reaction to the outcome of the governorship election in the state.
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Ofehe accused the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress of conniving with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission to commit various electoral crimes during the polls.
The statement titled “2023: DELTA GOVERNORSHIP SADLY FOR THE HIGHEST BIDDER” reads;
“We have witnessed yet again a mere selection called an ‘election’ on Saturday, March 18, 2023 for gubernatorial and State House of Assembly members, where huge fraud was sadly perpetrated.
“The good people of Delta State were disenfranchised and denied right to free choice of their political leaders by widespread thuggery, vote buying, concoction of figures at collation centres and the likes.
“Chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, were variously in connivance with the umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which endorsed the charade, caricature and show of shame. This sad scenario in the elections has reinforced the tag on the nation as “fantastically corrupt”.
“We have substantial amount of evidence to expose the tremendous fraud that took place across polling units and wards in each of the 25 local government councils in the state. The question is why should INEC budget such humongous sum of money only to midwife this sham and jamboree?
“Is it not better for INEC to advertise our elective positions in the media and open a bidding process for the highest bidders to be announced instead of wasting money of tax-payers who are given false hope they’ll elect their leaders?
“After assurances by the electoral umpire, INEC, gruelling campaigns by various parties and debates all of which raised the consciousness and hopes of the people for a better election, influence of money owing to weaponisation of poverty in the land played unfortunate role in the elections.
“Elective positions therefore largely went to the highest bidder. This is not the democracy Nigeria truly wants. This is not the democracy I decided to participate in. Our democracy, indeed, failed to evolve one notch higher! Sad!
“With governance thrown to incapable hands, the economy of our dear Delta State will more likely bleed in the wilderness in the next four years.
“We must not continue like this. We must not continue to sweep under the carpet the fraud that has characterised our elections. As an environmental-political activist, I will, everywhere in the globe I chance to, continue to shame these polls that were less than free, less than credible and hence unfair. It is hoped that this approach has the beneficial effect of deepening our electoral system.
“Barring the election irregularities, I am the most capable, credible, competent and generally acceptable candidate for the Delta State Governorship seat. As noted here earlier, I intend to challenge the entire process in my own way.
“I thank those who sincerely supported and worked tirelessly with me in the cause of the campaigns. We are the true WINNERS because we contended with the status quo and made sure we got to the finish line. We must take pride in our issue-based campaigns and doggedness to the end.
“I love my country Nigeria and my dear Delta State! I believe we would see, soonest, our dream Delta State.”
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