CANDIDATE of the All Progressive Party (APC) at the ongoing Edo State governorship election, Monday Okpebholo, has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise after casting his votes.

Okpebholo, while speaking to newsmen after casting his votes at Polling Unit 003, Uwessan 1, Esan Central  Local Government Area, said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was doing well.

He boasted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not get any votes at his polling unit.

“What I am seeing here is testimony that INEC is getting it right. PDP or whatever will not get one vote here because this is my home and my people love me.

The ICIR reports that the candidate of the Labour Party, Olumide Akpata, and his counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Asue Ighodalo, has also voted.

The ICIR reported how early morning downpours delayed voting in some parts of Edo Central Senatorial District as voters waited in long queues for the arrival of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who conducted the poll.

The Esan District, consisting of five Local Government Areas (Esan South-East, Igueben, Esan North-East, Esan West, and Esan Central), is key to the election because two major candidates, Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Monday Okpepholo of the All Progressive Congress (APC) are from there.

As of 7:50 am, polling units faced delays due to the late arrival of election materials and officials, while rain kept many voters indoors.

The ICIR reporter on the ground noticed some voters at Ivue primary school, Polling unit 7, Ward 2, Uromi waiting to vote in the rain with their umbrellas.

Seventeen political parties are competing for votes in the poll, with three candidates – PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, APC’s Monday Okpebholo, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) – leading the race.

With approximately 2.63 million registered voters, only 2.25 million of these collected their permanent voter’s card (PVC), making them eligible to vote, according to data from the INEC.

By this, the election in Edo would be determined by only 85.57 per cent of registered voters casting their ballot in 4,519 polling units across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.