Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, has described the just concluded governorship election in Edo State as “a blatant example of state capture.”
The former governor of Anambra State gave the description in a statement he posted on his X handle on Monday, September 23 2024.
He said, “What happened over the weekend in the name of election in Edo State does not in any way represent the democratic process we chose as a method of electing our political leadership. Instead, it was a blatant example of ‘state capture’ and continued gross undermining of our democratic process and values.”
Although the business mogul cum politician refused to mention specifically what happened, he said, any nation whose leadership recruitment process is so fatally flawed is doomed, therefore, urged those in authority not to allow the situation to stand or depend on it to remain in power.
He said the country has invested significantly in the Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which must be allowed to function and used properly in order to free the nation’s electoral process from the massive falsification that has plagued it and worsening.
Obi reminded the agencies and individuals being used to undermine the nation’s democracy simply because they hold positions of authority that their time in office is not eternal, saying that the society they are helping to destroy today would eventually take her revenge on them tomorrow.
He told the lecturers and others complicit in perpetuating the charade to reflect deeply on the roles they are playing in damaging the very foundation of the nation’s democracy, stressing that the damage caused today would inevitably take revenge on them and their children tomorrow.
He maintained that today’s politics is not about capturing power but about saving the country and making it work for everyone, regardless of their background.
While saying that this kind of action has no place in a true democracy, Obi said he remains committed to building a new and truly democratic Nigeria, which according to him is very possible.
