THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo, the winner of the governorship election conducted in Edo State on Saturday, September 21.
Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who won 247,274 votes.
The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Olumide Akpata, garnered 22,763 in the election to occupy a distant third position.
The returning officer and vice-chancellor of the Federal University of Minna, Haro Adamu Kuta, while announcing the final results said having met the constitutional requirement for being the winner, Okpebholo was the election winner.
With the declaration, Okpebholo will succeed the PDP’s Governor Godwin Obaseki, who leaves office on November 12 after serving two terms of four years apiece.
The ICIR reports that the election was a battle between two godfathers who worked tirelessly to ensure their candidate occupied the Osadebe House.
A former governor and serving senator, representing Edo North threw his weight behind Okpebholo, a senator representing Edo Central, while the incumbent, Obaseki, was strongly behind his anointed candidate and businessman, Ighodalo.
Seventeen political parties competed for votes in the poll, with Okpebholo, Ighodalo and Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) – leading the race.
There were approximately 2.63 million registered voters but only 2.25 million of these collected their permanent voter’s card (PVC), making them eligible to vote, according to data from INEC.
The ICIR reported the state residents and other Nigerians were anxiously waiting for the poll results, whose collation began at about 11:45 am on Sunday at the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin City, the state Governor Godwin Obaseki stormed the collation centre in the wee hours of the day.
The governor, accompanied by officials from his administration and security operatives, walked directly into the office of the resident electoral commissioner, Anugbum Onuoha, for a meeting that lasted for over an hour.
His presence at the INEC office raised concerns about potential interference in the collation process, with several APC supporters protesting at the INEC office against the visit.
He was ordered out of the commission by a deputy inspector-general of police, Frank Mba.
Obaseki later said he had tried to reach the resident commissioner on the phone but could not, leading to his decision to meet him and lodge some complaints about the conduct of the poll.
The ICIR reports that the election was generally peaceful but marred by vote buying and delay in its commencement due to the late arrival of INEC staff in several polling units.
Officers of the Nigeria Police Force and their counterparts in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested thugs and vote buyers, respectively, during the election.
The ICIR reported how early downpours pounded several parts of the state leading to a delay in the commencement of the poll, with another round of rain hitting the state on Sunday morning when economic activities were picking up, and the collation of poll was about to commence.
Before the collation centre proceeded on recess after 2 pm, it announced the results of 16 out of the 18 LGAs in the state. The ICIR reported how the APC led in the results announced.
Election observers both lauded and faulted the exercise. The ICIR reported how civil society organisations (CSOs) on the ground to monitor the poll condemned widespread vote buying.
They also raised concerns about the results collation process.
The Edo State election is one of the most secure polls in the nation’s history as the police deployed 35,000 of its officers and other sister security agencies, including the military, moved 8,000 of their personnel to the state to provide security.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2022. Contact him via email @ [email protected].