A member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, representing the South-South geopolitical zone, Charles Idahosa, on Tuesday hailed the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal which affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu, describing it as perfect.
Idahosa, who was a former Commissioner for Information in Edo State, made the statement in Benin City on Tuesday while interacting with journalists in an event to mark his 70th birthday.
He said those insisting that a presidential candidate must win Abuja to be able to win the presidential election should note that people in Abuja are not more Nigerians than people in other states, adding that the last general election was a victim of the social media which turned out unverifiable news.
“The PEPT judgement is perfect. The election was a victim of the social media. A lot of things happen on social media that you cannot verify. How can somebody tell me that if you don’t win Abuja, you will not win the presidency?
“Are people from Abuja different from other Nigerians? I don’t understand why people view the PEPT judgement with sentiments. Some said there is a watermark on the verdict paper… I have read the judgement and it is very clear, not ambiguous. I believe that President Tinubu will make Nigeria great again.
On the 2024 Edo State governorship election, Idahosa, who recently received a national honour, Officer of the Federal Republic, said the Edo elections would be free and fair, as the introduction of BVAS has made it impossible for elections to be rigged.
He said, “The Edo 2024 governorship election will be free and fair because the introduction of BVAS has made it difficult for elections to be rigged in Nigeria. The last general election was a free and fair election where sitting governors could not make it to the Senate. The then President, Muhammadu Buhari, lost in Kastina; President Tinubu lost Lagos, and Governor Samuel Ortom lost his senatorial bid (in Benue). In Enugu, the former state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, was unable to win his Senate seat too, that is 1/3 of the state. I even lost my ward.
“So, the Edo 2024 governorship election will be free and fair. Some people say because Tinubu is the President, the APC will win. It will not be easy.
“The next governor of Edo State must be a homeboy and not an imported financial magician. This time around, nobody will sell a candidate to us. He must be one of us, who is conversant with the state.
Reacting to calls that the next governor should come from Edo Central, Idahosa urged the people of the zone to synergise and lobby the major political parties to select candidates from the zone for them to produce the next governor of the state, adding that there has never been a time, where political contest in the state was restricted to a given senatorial zone.
