Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has voiced strong disapproval of the recent Edo State governorship election held on September 21. In a statement on Sunday, Fintiri criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for declaring Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner, labeling the electoral process as “shameful.”

Fintiri remarked, “I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the disgraceful Edo gubernatorial poll.” He defended his prior actions, asserting that his dissemination of results from INEC’s Irev portal was accurate and not an attempt to distort the situation. He accused the APC of trying to undermine him while ignoring the genuine issues surrounding the election.

The governor pointed out several alleged irregularities, including the APC national chairman’s violation of election day movement restrictions by arriving in Edo via private jet, as well as the use of armoured vehicles by governors to intimidate voters.

Fintiri condemned practices such as vote-buying, inconsistencies in the collation process, and discrepancies between the number of votes cast and the number of accredited voters. He characterized these actions as a “rape of democracy” and called for accountability, emphasizing that the world is watching and Nigeria deserves a more robust democratic process.