Adewole Adebayo, former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has weighed in on the results of the 2024 Edo State Governorship Election, pointing out a troubling disconnect between the economic struggles of Nigerians and their voting choices during the election held on Saturday.
It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, as the winner of the election after results from the 18 local government areas of the state were tallied.
Okpebholo also triumphed in Oredo Local Government Area, the home base of Governor Godwin Obaseki, defeating the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the governor’s local government.
In a statement released on Sunday evening, Adebayo commented that the election revealed the APC’s focus on politics, while the opposition remains preoccupied with “political science,” leaving Nigerians to prioritize their economic survival through what he termed “actuarial science.”
“The hunger in people’s stomachs has not been communicated to their thumbs,” SaharaReporters quoted Adebayo as saying , urging for better alignment between political parties and the public’s needs.
Adebayo praised Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata for running a strong campaign, offering a credible alternative to the APC and PDP, and called on Nigerians to rethink their voting patterns, stressing that the status quo cannot persist.
He wrote: “Edo State Governorship Election 2024 has taught me that @OfficialAPCNg is doing politics and we in the opposition are doing political science whilst the Nigerian people on whose behalf we are fighting are doing actuarial science.”
“The hunger in the people’s stomachs has not been communicated to their thumbs… The electorate cannot continue to vote for the status quo by not coming out on Election Day,” he added.
