The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the gubernatorial election held on Saturday in Edo State. Okpebholo secured victory by winning 11 out of the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.
Announcing the results on Sunday, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Faruq Adamu Kuta, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, stated that Okpebholo garnered 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who received 247,274 votes. Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) came third with 22,763 votes.
“I, Prof. Faruq Adamu Kuta, certify that I am the Returning Officer for the Edo State governorship election held on September 21, 2024. That Monday Okpebholo of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner of the election and returned elected,” Kuta announced.
The election, which featured 17 candidates including 16 males and one female, saw a large voter turnout across 4,519 polling units in the 18 LGAs.
Despite the declared results, there were concerns raised by the opposition. PDP candidate Asue Ighodalo described the election as potentially the worst in Nigeria’s history, citing irregularities in over 20 polling units. Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki also expressed concerns over the transparency of the collation process after visiting the INEC collation center.
In the final breakdown, Okpebholo’s victory was consolidated by significant wins in key LGAs such as Akoko Edo, where he received 34,837 votes, and Etsako West, where he garnered 32,107 votes. Ighodalo, however, performed strongly in LGAs like Ovia North-East and Egor, but it was not enough to bridge the gap.
