INEC declares APC’s Okpebholo winner of Edo election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the Edo State governorship election held on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

Okpebholo, 54, received 291,667 votes, defeating Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,274 votes. Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) placed third. A total of 14 candidates contested the election, but only the top three received significant support.

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Prof. Faruk Kuta, INEC’s Returning Officer for the election, announced Okpebholo’s victory at approximately 9 PM on Sunday, eliciting cheers from APC supporters at the collation centre in Benin City. Kuta, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, made the announcement after several recesses during the counting process.

The APC candidate won over 10 of the 18 local government areas, demonstrating strong influence in his senatorial district. He received support from fellow National Assembly member Adams Oshiomhole and his running mate, Dennis Idahosa, as well as from former Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu.

Okpebholo’s victory signals a potential return to power for the APC, which lost control of the state in 2020 when outgoing Governor Godwin Obaseki defected to the PDP amid intra-party conflicts. Obaseki has actively campaigned for Ighodalo, while Oshiomhole played a key role in Okpebholo’s campaign.

READ ALSO:Ganduje congratulates Okpebholo, assures of Edo people of good governance

However, the announcement of the results has been met with protests from PDP supporters, who claim the results were fabricated and do not reflect the people’s will. Protests erupted in various parts of the state capital and outside the INEC collation centre, which was heavily secured.

Governor Obaseki confronted the INEC officials over the exclusion of PDP agents from the collation centre, leading to his removal by security personnel. PDP representatives have called for the suspension of the election, citing alleged irregularities and discrepancies in the reported results.

The PDP Governors’ Forum, led by Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, has urged INEC to uphold the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that the votes of Edo citizens are counted fairly.

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According to INEC, 2,249,780 individuals with Permanent Voters’ Cards participated in the election, which is one of eight off-season governorship elections in Nigeria.