Nigerian Political Parties Engage in Heated Rhetoric Over Edo State Election

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State has declared that the party’s victory in the Edo State governorship election is a confirmation of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. The APC Chairman, Idris Shuaibu, made the statement in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday.

According to Shuaibu, the President’s human development policies, such as student loans, local governments autonomy, and the creation of a livestock ministry, are the selling points that made Nigerians vote for the party in Edo State. He also praised the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, for organizing the security agencies in Edo during the election, saying it showed the President has assembled the best hands in his cabinet.

The APC Chairman predicted a walkover for the party in the upcoming Ondo State governorship election and stated that Adamawa State will be captured by the APC in 2027. He claimed that the President has shown Nigerians the road to development, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will automatically return to power in Adamawa State.

However, the Adamawa PDP Chairman, Abubakar Shehu, described the Edo governorship poll as a daylight political robbery. At a press conference in Yola on Tuesday, Shehu alleged that the APC violently manipulated the election to subvert the wishes of the Edo people, stating that the party’s actions will further deepen voter apathy and make a mockery of the democratic process.

The PDP Chairman also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and some security personnel of conniving with the APC to rig the election. Shehu called the actions of the APC "shameful and a threat to our nascent democracy."

The political parties’ differing views on the Edo State election have sparked heated rhetoric in Nigeria, with both parties trading accusations of electoral manipulation. The situation remains a subject of concern for democratic stakeholders in the country.