The Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the 2024 Edo
State governorship election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, has called out Sen. Monday
Okpebholo over his reckless allegation on TVC News ‘Journalist Hangout’, in
which he claimed that: “they are mopping up money to go and bribe tribunal
people.”
Ighodalo asserted that the thoughtless claim was not
only false but a dangerous attempt to blackmail the judiciary.
In a statement signed by Erhabor Emokpae in Benin City
on Wednesday, Ighodalo described Okpebholo’s televised comments alleging
efforts to bribe members of the Edo State Election Tribunal as “deeply
irresponsible and representing a desperate and calculated ploy to intimidate
the judiciary, poison public discourse, and undermine confidence in a legal
process that he knows does not favour him.”
He further said, “Let it be stated unequivocally:
there is absolutely no truth to Okpebholo’s insinuation. It is a blatant lie,
and he knows it. The members of the tribunal, more than anyone else, also know
that no such attempt has been made, would be made, nor could it ever succeed.
By making such a reckless claim, Okpebholo seeks to pre-emptively discredit any
judgment that does not go his way. It is the classic tactic of a sore
loser—crying wolf when in reality there is none. The reality is simply that he
did not win the people’s mandate.
“It is deeply troubling that a respondent in an
ongoing case would seek to so undermine the integrity of the judicial panel
with such baseless accusations. This is a brazen and irresponsible attack
intended to intimidate the members of the Election Petition Tribunal and erode
public trust in our legal institutions.
“It is telling that Okpebholo, without a shred of
evidence for his wild accusations, glibly relies on innuendo and divine
invocation to justify his electoral delusions. His statement is riddled with
contradictions: on the one hand, he claims to trust the judiciary and believes
they will do the right thing; on the other hand, he attempts to smear them with
baseless allegations of bribery. Which is it? Either he respects the judiciary
or he does not.
“Okpebholo’s outburst raises an obvious question: is
his camp beginning to realise that the defence they presented before the
Tribunal was weak and inadequate? Having failed to mount a credible legal
defense, is he now seeking extra-judicial remedies through public blackmail?
“This attempt to pressure the tribunal through public
defamation must be condemned by all. It is dangerous, it is reckless, and it is
beneath the dignity of anyone who claims to be a leader. “Okpebholo should be
reminded that democracy is not about forcing a narrative but about respecting
the will of the people and the rule of law. The tribunal should take due note
of his remarks—not because they carry any merit, but because they expose a
desperate ploy to undermine a legitimate judicial process.
“Edo State deserves better. Nigeria deserves better.
The judiciary must not allow itself to be dragged into the mud by those who
neither understand nor respect the rule of law because they think, somehow,
that they are above it. This is typical of politicians who, when faced with
defeat, resort to fabrications of lies and fear-mongering. The tribunal will do
its work based on facts and the law, not on the baseless cries of those who
refuse to accept reality,” Ighodalo stated.
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