No to Phantom Results; Declare the True Winner – Adams Oshiomhole
DSM Statement
EDO Guber Election:
No to Phantom Results; Declare the True Winner – Adams Oshiomhole
Worker, Youths and Poor Masses Must Protest the Rigging
The Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) calls for the immediate cancellation of the phantom results of Edo State gubernatorial election released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the winner.
On the spot assessment shows that Adams Oshiomhole won the polls where the people truly voted. In most areas where the PDP was said to have won, the elections did not really take place, rather the ballot materials were hijacked by the PDP with the connivance of the armed soldiers and police to manipulate votes for the PDP candidate, Oserheimen Osunbor.
Knowing fully he was hell-bent to announce as the winner the unpopular candidate against the wish of the people as reflected in the ballot, the resident electoral commissioner had to employ the service of the armed soldiers and police to unleash terror on the youths that had besieged the INEC office expecting Oshiomhole to be declared the winner.
Oshiomhole is seen as a beacon of hope by workers, youths and poor masses of Edo State, nay Nigeria, on the basis of his antecedent as the labour leader who led masses in struggle against incessant fuel price hike, an aspect anti-poor of neo-liberal policies of the PDP government. From the campaign activities, it was clear that he enjoyed massive support of workers and poor masses, who also wanted a clean break from the thieving ruling elite that have ruined the state in the past 8 years and permanently “fixed” infrastructure decay and poverty on the state in spite of its huge resources.
We call on workers, youths and mass organisations to protest this brazen rigging of peoples’ mandate. Another term for the sleazy PDP with its characteristic looting of state treasury and anti-poor policies is a run of misfortunes for the poor masses of Edo State; this must be vehemently resisted. The Labour Party should make mass appeal to trade unions, youth organisations, student bodies, market men and women, etc for organised mass action including industrial strike to defeat the barefaced and contemptuous attempt at imposing suffering and agony on the people of Edo State.
However, the struggle for actualisation of the popular mandate should be linked with a call on Oshiomhole to leave the Action Congress (AC) equally peopled by corrupt, anti-poor politicians and build a formidable, pro-masses Labour Party in Edo State and beyond through which he could really actualise his lofty, pro-masses’ programmes promised the people in the campaign.