Former Minister of Aviation Osita Chidoka has announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Chidoka announced this while presenting the audit of the Edo State Governorship election by the Athena Centre run by him on Channels Television on Friday, November 29, 2024.

The former minister said the election process could easily be manipulated due to its frailties.

Chidoka said: “For me, I am committing to making sure that these things work. So, earlier today, I sent a letter to my ward resigning officially from the PDP. I am leaving the PDP, I am leaving politics for some time.

“I am focusing on the Athena Centre. I will work in concert with other Nigerians who want us to reform the political system and bring evidence-based governance to support its own. So, effective today, I am no longer a member of the PDP.”

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He further stated that the election process in Edo State was manipulated, adding that any political party hoping to upturn the system as it is through the votes of the electorate was mistaken.

“We believe that the president needs to reorganise and depoliticise INEC. INEC as an institution has lost credibility,” Chidoka said, adding that it was on that score that people ignored the governorship election in Ondo State.

The former minister stated: “We need to limit INEC discretion in collation and result management, so I think we should do away with local government collation and state collation. We should just do the basic collation from the polling unit and uphold it straight to the IREV and from there to the result collation centre.

“They need to legislate against election mismanagement. People can’t just be getting away without being held accountable.

“Any political party that goes for the 2027 general election under this election management system is doom to lose, the election is a fait accompli. It is done! They can tamper with the BVAS at the back end, they can print different result sheets.”

The Star