THE newly-elected governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, has promised to imitate what President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, did as governor of Akwa Ibom State.
Okpebholo, who contested for the office on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform also vowed to lift the South-South states to new heights upon taking the oath of office.
He boasted that his victory was a new dawn for the state.
The governor-elect stated these while addressing journalists on Sunday, September 22, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner.
Okpebholo appreciated the people of the state for believing in his ability to lead them, promising to provide good governance over the next four years.
“I want to tell you that I am starting from where Adams Oshiomhole stopped. I also want to let you know that I would like to imitate what Akpabio has done in Akwa Ibom State. Edo has received a new transformation. By the grace of God, Edo is back again,” he stated.
The ICIR reported that INEC declared 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 from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) 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 requirements 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, Oshiomole threw his weight behind Okpebholo, a serving 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 that only two out of 10 eligible voters participated in the exercise, largely indicative of voter apathy to the political process.
A reporter with the ICIR
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