Benue Enone National Assembly Election: “I Defeated Philip Agbese,” Aida Nath Heads to Court

• Aida Nath-Ogwuche of the Peoples Democratic Party has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of violating the provisions of the Electoral Act
• The 2023 House of Representatives candidate alleged that INEC worked with the All Progressives Congress to steal her mandate
• According to Nath-Ogwuche, she will be seeking redress of the alleged illegalities by the party and the electoral body in court

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency in the last Saturday elections, Aida Nath-Ogwuche has rejected the outcome of the 2023 National Assembly election in Benue state.

Nath-Ogwuche in a statement she issued on Thursday, March 2, and seen by ambajay.com said that the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Philip Agbese, as the winner of the election was not a reflection of the true outcome of the poll.

Stating that she is the true winner of the election which took place in the state on Saturday, February 25, Nath-Ogwuche accused officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of compromising the electioneering process.

The PDP candidate alleged that the electoral body connived with the winning party with the election marred by underage voting, multiple voting, over-voting, voters intimidation, bypass of BIVAS Machines and among other electoral infractions”.

Aida, who appreciated the support of the people, claimed that the mandate was stolen and would be reclaimed by the instrumentality of the judiciary. She said her team of legal experts were on course.

She vowed to seek redress in court to reclaim her alleged stolen mandate.

The statement reads:

“It has indeed become pertinent that I make public, my take on the outcome of the February 25th, 2023 polls for the Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, wherein I participated as the Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“Since the conduct of the election, I have painstakingly reviewed the process with its attendant unfolding realities. Expectedly, I have also consulted convincingly and have decided on the way forward.

“Against this backdrop, it is my firm conviction, giving to available facts and evidence that, the said election was marred with irregularities and substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Laws. I make bold to say, I won the election but the acts of desperate politicians colluding with some corrupt INEC representatives made the result allegedly otherwise against me.

“This entitles me to seek legal redress and that is exactly what I have briefed my team of legal experts to do.

“I state without an iota of equivocation and circumlocution that there was in that election as substantiated by outcomes in many polling units, underage voting, multiple voting, over-voting, armed intimidation of voters and bypass of BIVAS Machines.”

In addition, she said that these irregularities, which are clearly at variance and in rude violation of the tenets of the recently promulgate Electoral Act entitle me to seek adequate relief.

According to her, she has set up the legal machinery in place to reclaim her stolen mandate from INEC and the APC.

She added:

“I make bold to call on the law enforcement agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police whose primary responsibility it is to arrest, investigate and prosecute criminality associated with electoral processes to rise up to the occasion, hasten up the investigation and bring the perpetrators to book.

“It is sad to note that some members of staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who were engaged to undertake peaceful, unbiased and credible elections were part of an inordinate conspiracy to defeat the true essence of our electoral jurisprudence. Our team, being in possession of overwhelming evidence will proceed against them in accordance with the dictates of the law.

“Our mandate which has been temporarily stolen will be reclaimed by the instrumentality of the law. We have confidence in the merit of our cause and we have confidence in the judiciary.”