INEC Officially Declares APC’s Okpebholo Winner Of Edo State Governorship Race

INEC Officially Declares APC’s Okpebholo Winner Of Edo State Governorship Race

After months of intense political activity in Edo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the highly competitive governorship election held on Saturday, September 21, 2024, in the South-South state.

Okpebholo, 54, secured 291,667 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes, and Labour Party (LP) candidate, Olumide Akpata, who finished a distant third with 22,763 votes. Fourteen other candidates participated but lagged far behind the top three.

INEC’s Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Faruk Kuta, declared Okpebholo the winner at 09:27 p.m. on Sunday, sparking celebratory cheers from APC supporters at the collation centre in Benin City, the state capital.

Kuta, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, made the announcement after several recesses during the collation process.

Okpebholo claimed victory in more than 10 of the 18 local government areas, leaving Ighodalo with marginal wins in the remaining local councils. The APC also dominated two of the state’s three battleground senatorial districts.

Below is the breakdown of votes by local government areas for the top three candidates:

| LGA | APC | LP | PDP |
|——————|——|——|——|
| Igueben | 5907 | 494 | 8470 |
| Esan West | 12952| 342 | 11004|
| Owan West | 12277| 201 | 11284|
| Uhunmwonde | 8776 | 767 | 9339 |
| Ovia North East | 13225| 1675 | 15311|
| Esan South East | 8398 | 98 | 14199|
| Egor | 16760| 1966 | 14658|
| Akoko Edo | 34847| 2239 | 15865|
| Esan Central | 10990| 418 | 8618 |
| Esan North East | 10648| 194 | 12522|
| Ovia South West | 10150| 849 | 10260|
| Orhionmwon | 16059| 556 | 14614|
| Owan East | 19380| 446 | 14189|
| Etsako East | 20167| 604 | 9683 |
| Etsako Central | 11906| 381 | 8455 |
| Etsako West | 32107| 2116 | 17483|
| Oredo | 30780| 5389 | 24938|
| Ikpoba-Okha | 16338| 4026 | 26382|
| **Total** | **291,667** | **22,763** | **247,274** |

Okpebholo, currently serving as the Edo Central Senator, leveraged his influence in his senatorial district and formed a powerful alliance with Adams Oshiomhole, a fellow National Assembly member from Edo North, to defeat Ighodalo, the candidate backed by outgoing governor Godwin Obaseki.

Okpebholo’s victory can also be attributed to his partnership with running mate Dennis Idahosa, a federal lawmaker, and Obaseki’s estranged deputy, Philip Shaibu.

This victory brings Okpebholo closer to achieving his goal of becoming governor and positions the APC for a return to power at the Dennis Osadebe Government House.

The APC previously lost control of the state in 2020 after Obaseki defected to the PDP following a fallout with his predecessor Oshiomhole. After being denied the APC ticket, Obaseki ran under the PDP banner and defeated APC’s Osagie Ize-Iyamu to secure his second term, which ends on November 12, 2024.

Obaseki campaigned vigorously for Ighodalo, while Oshiomhole played a central role in Okpebholo’s campaign, attending rallies and media engagements on behalf of the APC candidate.

Despite Okpebholo’s win, the election saw protests from PDP supporters who claimed the results were manipulated and did not reflect the people’s will. Demonstrations erupted in parts of Benin City and outside the INEC collation centre, which was heavily guarded.

Earlier on Sunday, Obaseki protested at the collation centre, objecting to the exclusion of PDP agents from the venue, but was escorted out by security agents. PDP officials also called for the suspension of the election over alleged irregularities, with claims that the figures on INEC’s IReV platform did not match those on the EC8 forms.

The PDP Governors’ Forum, led by Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, criticized the results and urged INEC to ensure the votes of Edo residents were accurately reflected.

INEC stated that 2,249,780 people with Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) participated in the election. Edo is one of eight states where governorship elections are held off-season due to legal rulings.

Observers, including the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (NCSSR), reported instances of voter inducement, including vote-buying and distribution of food items at polling units. The group noted that vote prices ranged from ₦5,000 to ₦10,000 per voter in several locations.

The Situation Room consists of various Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), including Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Action Aid Nigeria, and YIAGA Africa.