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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Monday Okpebholo, winner of the governorship election in Edo State.
Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who scored 247,274 votes to come second, while Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party garnered 22,763 votes to come third.
Fourteen other candidates were also in the race but trailed far behind the top three.
INEC’s Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof Faruk Kuta, declared, “That Okpebholo Monday of APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
The APC candidate won more than 10 of Edo’s 18 local government areas, while the PDP managed to secure wins in a few others.
Okpebholo’s stronghold in Edo Central, combined with the influence of former Edo governor and current Senator Adams Oshiomhole from Edo North, played a crucial role in defeating Ighodalo, the candidate supported by the outgoing governor.
Okpebholo’s triumph was further bolstered by his alliance with running mate Dennis Idahosa, a federal legislator, and the backing of Philip Shaibu, the estranged deputy governor of Edo State.
The win brings Okpebholo few days away to occupying the Dennis Osadebe Government House, a return to power for the APC after losing it in 2020 when Governor Godwin Obaseki defected to the PDP.
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Obaseki, after a fallout with Oshiomhole, won his second term as a PDP candidate, defeating the APC’s Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
However, the announcement of Okpebholo’s victory was not without controversy. Supporters of the PDP alleged the election results were manipulated.
Protests erupted in parts of the state, with demonstrators voicing concerns about irregularities. Governor Obaseki himself appeared at the collation center to raise objections over the exclusion of PDP agents but was escorted out by security forces.
PDP agent Tony Iyoha called for the suspension of the election due to alleged irregularities, while the party’s state chairman, Anthony Aziegbemi, pointed out discrepancies between INEC’s figures and those on the IReV platform.
