The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State, Asuen Ighodalo, on Thursday, alleged that the farm of one of his witnesses was burnt to intimidate him from testifying for the party at the election petition tribunal.
DAILY POST reports that Ighodalo disclosed this while speaking at the party's stakeholders' meeting in Benin City.
Ighodalo also alleged that some of the witnesses were offered between N30 million and N40 million not to appear in court to testify.
The PDP governorship candidate who commended the leadership of the party in the state and the witnesses who testified in the court for believing in him and the party, however, urged them not to despair as an appeal has already been filed.
He also disclosed that some people have called to appeal to him to drop the governorship court case against the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Monday Okpebholo, saying the two of them are both from the same Edo Central senatorial district.
According to him, ”some people burnt the farm of one of our witnesses to intimidate him not to testify for the party at the tribunal. The man dared them and appeared at the court to testify.
“Some of them were also offered between N30 million and N40 million not to come to the court. We PDP don't have that kind of money to give except only transport fares. They rejected the offers and testified for the party.
“This family is remarkable. I haven't had the opportunity to publicly thank everybody since the election. Despite the intimidation, despite the money spent, despite everything that they did to us, we won that election hands down”, he said.
He reminded the members of the forthcoming Edo Central senatorial district and Ovia Federal Constituency elections, urging them to come out enmasse to vote for whoever emerged as the party's candidates.
Earlier, in his address of welcome, Dr Tony Aziegbemi, chairman of the Edo PDP caretaker committee, said they are the only known and recognized leadership of the party in the state.
Aziegbemi, who said the party is very strong in the state, assured the members that the party would reclaim its mandate from the court.
In his remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Lucky Igbinedion, the former Governor of the state, opined that the party is in court because it won the governorship election.
Igbinedion, who said PDP is still the most viable party in the state and indeed in Nigeria, advised the party's members not to quarrel with anybody but to continue to woo more members to the party.
On his part, Chief Tom Ikimi, the former Minister for Foreign Affairs, who described the stakeholders' meeting as very important, noted that it conveyed a clear message to the country that the PDP in Edo State is strong and vibrant.
Ikimi alleged that those who are now opposing the party but pretending to still be members are committing criminal acts.
