Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, on Saturday claimed that his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, had planned a grand plan, along with some members of opposition parties, to plot a media trial to discredit his election victory from September 21.

This is contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, in Benin City.

The governor was reacting to claims by former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) manipulated the election in favor of the Edo governor.

Okpebholo, who expressed dismay at the media which provided a platform for Chidoka to peddle what he described as the latest Osita Chidoka drama, said: “We are aware that former Governor Godwin Obaseki and some PDP leaders in Edo State, along with their supporters, had a meeting. during the week, with online retailers and editors from major newspapers; where it was decided that the media trial should be the model for their current commitment to discredit the very credible September 21 Edo elections.

“The truth is that the CENI conducted very free, fair and violence-free elections, as recognized by national observers in their various reports. The PDP leadership in Edo State, in its review and report, also admitted that the APC won the election.

“Osita Chidoka’s latest drama amounts to beating around the bush and trying to pick up mud against the elections. The PDP should enable the court to do its work in accordance with established procedures.

He accused the media of leading the gang, saying “the idea of ​​deploying the services of senior editors and journalists with a marching order to discredit the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo by any means possible is eccentric and selfish.

“Their identities are now known and will be made public in the coming days. We can see that they have taken to social media spaces, pages of national newspapers and malleable national televisions, to promote their horrific narratives, that Governor Okpebholo did not win the September 21 elections in the Edo State.

“By this, we make them aware that Governor Monday Okpebholo is making good progress in his duties as a duly elected governor with an irrevocable mandate for the next four years.”

Okpebholo claimed his attempt to audit state assets to recover “stolen cars and other assets from Obaseki’s criminal allies, and investigate, if necessary, the financial heist orchestrated by the last administration” triggered desperate measures to vilify his election.

The Publicity Secretary of the Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, Chris Nehikhare, has said the APC-led government’s plan to cover up the systemic manipulation of the Edo poll would fail.

Nehikhare said, “We want to categorically state that the center did not release the report as observers of the election, the analysis is the result of careful review and analysis of documents and data made available to the center by the CENI who are the electoral arbiters.

“We sympathize with the governor and his team because we know they are not very familiar with digital tools or anything to do with data, which makes them extremely uncomfortable when faced with concrete facts. This is evident in their response to independent analysis, where instead of examining the data and evidence presented, they resort to baseless claims and smear campaigns.

“We understand their challenge, they clearly do not understand the data and are unable to use it effectively. However, the data in question constitutes an accurate picture of the election, based on the documents provided by the INEC, which exposed the systemic rigging and brazen manipulation of the governorship election in Edo State.