*As PDP Kicks, Petition INEC Chairman, Demand Review of Collated Results
* PDP, APC Supporters Besiege Venue of Results Announcement
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the umpire of the last week Edo governorship have declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Monday Okpebholo the winner against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Asue Ighodalo and Labour party candidate, Olumide Akpata.
Okpebholo, 54, polled a total votes of 291, 667, to defeat, Asue Ighodalo who scored 247, 279. The three horse race was however keenly contested between the APC and PDP candidate.
Labour Party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata, finished third with 22,761 votes, while fourteen other candidates received significantly fewer votes.
The APC also secured control in two of the state’s three senatorial districts.
Okpebholo’s win was bolstered by strong backing from influential political figures, including Adams Oshiomhole, his National Assembly colleague from Edo North, and his running mate, federal lawmaker Dennis Idahosa.
The alliance also included Obaseki’s estranged deputy, Philip Shaibu, which further consolidated Okpebholo’s support base.
The victory marks the APC’s return to power at the Dennis Osadebey’s avenue, the seat of power following after the defection of the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki, to the PDP in 2020.
Obaseki’s fallout with Oshiomhole led him to switch parties and secure a second term under the PDP, which will end on November 12, 2024.
With Okpebholo now poised to assume office, the APC has successfully reclaimed its foothold in Edo State politics.
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APC victory in Edo: Okpebhole promises to replicate Akpabio’s developmental strides
Edo State Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has promised to replicate achievements of Senator Godswill Akpabio as Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
Okpebholo spoke shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him winner of last Saturday’s governorship election.
He was at the Benin City resident of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole alongside with other chieftains of the party.
The residence of Oshiomhole was packed full as supporters throng in to express their support.
Okpebholo thanked Edo people for standing behind me and promised not to fail them.
Oshiomhole, on his part, said the victory was God’s decree for Okpebholo to clean the eight years mess of Obaseki.
He said, “When some people say election is about do or die, we say no it is about choice and power the people having the power to hire and fire even those that have the power to sign thw death warrant. Power resides only with God.
“God has decreed Senator Okpebhole to make up for the eight years disaster of Obaseki and Asue together. We did all those campaign without violence.
“Edo will now be govern by a man enrich with native wisdom, a man familiar with rather custom and tradition of Edo State. A man who has used his personal resources to show love to the community. He has crude credentials in terms of community service. God has put those who said there will be blood bath in shame.”
*Akpabio Congratulate Oshiomhole For Seeing The Back of Obaseki
Also Senator Godwill Akpabio said the victory was a turning point in the politics of Edo State.
“The will of God for the people is nothing but happiness, joy and prosperity. The outcome of the election is a reflection of the confidence Nigerians has continued to express in President Ahmed Tinubu. That is administration is doing its best to turn around the fortunes of Nigeria.
“What has happened in Edo is a clear reflection of what will happen in Ondo in November.
He Congratulated Okpebholo and Oshiomhole for finally seeing the back of Obaseki.
Akpabio stated that Okpebholo do not need to shed blood to lead the people.
“What has happened today is to show that the entire South South will stand in support of the present administration and it will reflect in the 2027 election.”
Protest At INEC Office:
Aggrieved members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP supporters staged a protest at the venue of the INEC Secretariat in Ikpoba Hill demanding the cancellation of the results.
Large contingent of the combined team of security agent mounted barricade to prevent the surging protesters from gaining access into the INEC building.
While the supporters of the All Progressives Congress APC, rolled out the drums in jubilation of the victory of Sen.Monday Okpebholo and commended INEC for delivery a free, fair and credible elections.
*Obaseki Walk Out of ONEC Office
Prior to the declaration of Okpebholo there was a dramatic scene at about 4:10 am when Governor Godwin Obaseki was forced out of the premises of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Benin by the DIG Frank Mba.
Obaseki had entered the promises unannounced at around 2 am allegedly to protest some anomalies in the collation of results of some local government areas including his Oredo.
Officials of INEC were said to have told him that he was supposed to be there just as the Peoples Democratic Party PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo was sent back earlier but he was to have insisted to stay.
About 3 am, a combined team of policemen led by DIG Frank Mba and soldiers entered the premises and by 4:10 am, he was escorted out of the premises by the security men who shouted at the governor, “Leave, leave.”
Minutes before Obaseki was led outside by Mba flanked by a contingent of policemen, All Progressives Congress National Secretary, Surajudeen Basiru, addressed journalists that the governor had no reason to be in the premises.
Basiru said, “He is not a candidate. He has no reason to be here”, describing the governor’s action as abuse of office.
Earlier, members of the All Progressives Congress led by Monday Okpebholo’s running mate, Honourable Dennis Idahosa, led protesters to demand the exit of Governor Godwin Obaseki from the premises of the Independent National Electoral Commission at about 3.30am on Sunday.
Idahosa, who was shouting on top of the voice from outside the gate, demanded alongside others for the removal of the governor as he stated that he had no business being there.
He said, “Obaseki must come out. He is not supposed to be here. He is not an INEC Staff. Nigeria Police should not compromise.”
The protesters at intervals tried to gain entrance into the premises of INEC but they were prevented from entering even when they repeatedly banged on the gate.
PDP Petitions INEC Chairman, demands review of collated results
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has petitioned the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, over alleged “massive irregularities” in the results from 16 local government areas already collated.
Chairman of the party in the State, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, made the demand in a protest letter addressed to the INEC chairman.
The letter was titled: “Protest against manufactured vote entries and unjust deduction of PDP votes in the collation of results of Edo State governorship election”.
He alleged that the electoral officers appointed by INEC for the election “made entries that are totally different from the actual results as uploaded on the INEC IREV, thereby unjustly inflating votes in favour of the APC and deducting the votes of the PDP.”
He cited discrepancies in the votes recorded for his party in local government areas where the APC won with wide margins.
Aziegbemi, “a simple collation of all the votes recorded in the polling unit [Akoko-Edo] results uploaded on the IREV shows that the APC obtained 25,010 votes while 34,847 votes was recorded in the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
“While for the PDP, a collation of the votes from the results uploaded on the IREV is 18,620 but 15,865 was returned on the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
“It would interest you that in Ward 9 Akoko Edo LGA, from the 36 Polling Unit results uploaded on the IREV, the total votes obtained by APC is 2,350 while 9104 was entered into the EC8B result for APC. The total votes for PDP is 1359 while 633 was entered in the EC8B.
“Also, in Ward 6 Akoko Edo LGA, were elections did not hold in Ward 6 Units 12, 17, 15, 18, 14 and 16, results were returned for the said polling units in the Ward Result sheet (EC8B),” Aziegbemi said.
He went further to explain that a simple collation of all the votes recorded in the polling unit results uploaded on the IREV shows that the APC obtained 10,972 votes while 16,760 votes were recorded in the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
He said, “While for the PDP, a collation of the votes from the results uploaded on the IREV’s 14,485 but 14,658 was returned on the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
“It would interest you to note that the collation of the Egor LGA was not done at the designated LGA centre but was moved to the INEC State HQ and the PDP agent was not allowed access to be part of the exercise.”
The Edo PDP chairman also cited examples of deductions of votes from his party’s scores “recorded for Etsako West LAG on the IREV shows that the APC obtained 29,858 votes while 32,107 votes was recorded in the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
He explained: “While for the PDP, a collation of the votes from the results uploaded on the IREV is 16,712 but 17,483 was returned on the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
“The above highlighted irregularities which are very apparent are extremely scandalous and a brazen attempt to steal the mandate of the PDP and also a terrible embarrassment to the commission.
“We therefore demand the immediate re-collation and recomputation of the actual results for the various polling units in the above highlighted Local Government Areas in compliance with the INEC guidelines and regulations which mandates that votes from various units and wards be properly collated.”
Monday Okpebholo was born on the 29th August 1970 to the family of late Chief Peter Okpebholo of Uromi, Uwesan-Irrua in Esan Central Local Government Area.
He attended Uromi Primary School and Ujabhole Secondary School, both in Uwesan-Irrua and later completed his secondary School in Jos.
After his secondary School he worked in a company that deals on books and computers . He later in life floated Chapman Computers Limited and Interwebs Satcom.
