Why I am not challenging Edo governorship election result- Akpata

By Kunle Sanni

The Labour Party candidate in the recent Edo State governorship election, Olumide Akpata, has announced his decision not to challenge the election results at the tribunal.

Akpata emerged third with 22, 763 votes in the election. He lost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo, who raked in 291,667 votes to defeat PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, who came second with 247,274 votes.

Three weeks after the contest, following the statutory window for filing petitions closes, Apata stated that his decision followed extensive deliberations with his legal team and stakeholders.

Speaking on the matter, Apata emphasized that his choice was not based on political calculations but was a response to the current state of Nigeria’s democracy.

He described it as a “statement on the state of our democracy and a call for all who cherish the principles of free and fair elections.”

The former candidate, who has over three decades of experience in legal practice, noted that he and his deputy, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, thoroughly examined the election process and consulted with some of the nation’s top legal minds before reaching this conclusion.

Akpata cited various irregularities during the election, such as vote-buying and questionable collation procedures, as evidence of deeper issues within the electoral system.

He described these problems as “fundamental breaches of the social contract between the government and the governed,” rather than minor technicalities.

“This decision is not a capitulation to injustice,” Apata asserted. “It is a resolute stand against a flawed system. I choose to rise above the quagmire of protracted legal battles that sometimes serve to legitimize a fundamentally compromised process.”

Instead of pursuing a legal challenge, Apata pledged to focus on advocating for systemic reforms, emphasizing that the fight for democracy goes beyond the courtroom. “Our battle is for the very soul of our democracy,” he concluded.

The announcement signals a call for broader electoral reforms as Apata shifts his efforts from legal contestation to addressing systemic issues in Nigeria’s electoral process.