INEC Declares APC’s Okpebholo Winner Of Edo Gov Election

APC’s Monday Okpebholo Wins Edo Governorship Election.

After months of intense campaigning, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the highly contested Edo State governorship election held on September 21, 2024.

Election Results:

– Monday Okpebholo (APC): 291,667 votes
– Asue Ighodalo (PDP): 247,274 votes
– Olumide Akpata (Labour Party): 22,761 votes

Path to Victory:

Okpebholo, a serving senator, leveraged his influence in Edo Central and teamed up with Adams Oshiomhole, his colleague from Edo North, to secure victory. His alliance with Dennis Idahosa, his running mate, and Philip Shaibu, outgoing Governor Obaseki’s estranged deputy, also contributed to his success.

Controversy and Protests:

The declaration was met with protests from PDP supporters, who alleged irregularities and discrepancies in the results. Governor Obaseki stormed the collation center, protesting the exclusion of PDP agents, while PDP agent Tony Iyoha called for the election’s suspension.

 INEC’s Response:

INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof. Faruk Kuta, declared Okpebholo the winner after a series of recesses, citing satisfaction of legal requirements.

Implications:

Okpebholo’s victory brings the APC closer to regaining power in Edo State, which it lost in 2020 when Governor Obaseki defected to the PDP.

 Reaction from PDP:

The PDP Governors’ Forum alleged electoral malpractices and disputed the results, citing discrepancies between EC8 forms and INEC’s IReV platform.

At the collation centre, PDP agent, Tony Iyoha, called for the suspension of the entire election over alleged irregularities.

Similarly, the party’s chairman in the state, Anthony Aziegbemi, explained that the discrepancies between figures on the EC8 form don’t tally with that on INEC’s IReV platform.

The PDP Governors’ Forum also asked the electoral umpire to respect the will of the people of Edo State and let their votes count. The Forum alleged that the exercise was fraught with electoral malpractices.

The PDP governors led to Edo by Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, faulted some of the results announced, saying they don’t tally with those on IReV.

According to INEC, 2,249,780 persons with Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) decided Obaseki’s successor on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

Edo is one of the eight states where governorship elections are held off-season due to litigations and court judgements. Others are Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun and Ondo.