The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo, has been declared the winner of the Edo State governorship election held on September 21, 2024.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rivals, Dr. Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,274 votes, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP), who received 22,763 votes. Other candidates combined received 5,312 votes.
The election was fiercely contested, with 17 candidates vying for the governorship seat across the 4,519 polling units in the 18 local government areas of Edo State. However, it was widely seen as a three-horse race between Okpebholo, Ighodalo, and Akpata. Okpebholo’s victory was buoyed by the strong backing of former governor Adams Oshiomhole and his influence in Edo North senatorial district.
Okpebholo claimed victory in several key local government areas, including Esan West, Owan West, Egor, Akoko-Edo, and Oredo, the home turf of outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki, a staunch supporter of the PDP’s Ighodalo. Despite this support, Okpebholo defeated Ighodalo in Oredo, securing 30,780 votes to the PDP’s 24,938.
Controversy Over Election Results
The result announcement sparked outrage from the PDP, which has rejected the outcome, claiming electoral malpractice. According to the PDP, their candidate, Dr. Ighodalo, was leading based on results from polling units before the collation process was allegedly hijacked by APC officials in collaboration with INEC staff.
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, who chaired the Edo PDP National Campaign Council, accused the APC of manipulating the results. He claimed that the election process was marred by tampering and rigging efforts, particularly during the collation stage. Fintiri demanded that INEC declare Ighodalo the rightful winner or risk plunging the state into a crisis, drawing parallels to the Adamawa governorship election debacle in 2023.
Despite these allegations, INEC has stood by its result declaration, emphasizing that the electoral process was conducted according to the law, and any grievances should be resolved through legal channels.
Election Observations and Voter Turnout
Political analysts described the election as one of the most competitive in Edo’s history, with the APC and PDP vying fiercely for the seat. While the Labour Party’s Akpata made inroads, he was unable to secure a substantial share of votes to challenge the two frontrunners.
With Okpebholo’s victory, the APC has reclaimed the governorship seat in Edo State, which was held by the PDP during Obaseki’s tenure. The transition is expected to usher in a new political era as Okpebholo prepares to take over the reins of the state from Obaseki on November 12, 2024.
As the dust settles, the PDP’s next steps are likely to include legal action challenging the results, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of this contentious election.
This is the concluding part of our series of Live Updates on the Edo State #Decides Governorship election. We will continue to track other developments surrounding the post-election in our routine news articles.
Thank you for staying with us! We wish the great people of Edo State peace and prosperity as they journey ahead with the rest of Nigeria in her political evolution.
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