The Labour Party governorship candidate in the just concluded election in Edo state, Olumide Akpata, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party are crying foul, after engaging in electoral malpractice.
Akpata, who came a distant third in the election with 22,763 votes said he feels no sympathy for the PDP.
The Edo state governorship candidate made this known in a press conference in Benin, the state’s capital, on Monday, while reacting to the outcome of the election.
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He claimed that PDP willingly participated in the bidding war with the All Progressives Congress, when it was fully aware of the rules from the outset.
Akpata said: “PDP, who now cry foul after being outmaneuvered in this macabre game of thrones. They willingly participated in the bidding war with the APC, fully aware of the rules from the outset.
“Their lamentations ring hollow in the face of their own complicity in this democratic travesty.
“We reserve our strongest condemnation for those who engaged in vote buying, the APC and PDP.
READ MORE: Akpata Would’ve Won Edo Guber If Election Wasn’t Rigged – LP
“Their actions have directly contributed to the destruction of our State’s economy over the past 25 years, creating the enabling environment for this democratic sacrilege to thrive.
“This election has laid bare the stark reality that our political landscape is dominated not by ideologies or the people’s will, but by those with the deepest pockets and the most extensive networks of influence.
“As for the APC and the Governor-elect, their actions have undermined the democratic process, betrayed the trust of the very people they seek to lead, and eroded faith in our democratic institutions.
“This is the legacy that will overshadow their ill-gotten mandate. Their “grab, snatch, and run” playbook is akin to riding on the back of a tiger will ultimately be the source of their undoing.
“The engagement of widespread vote-buying scheme by APC and PDP has reduced our electoral process to a commodity market and a bidding war for votes.”
