The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Monday Okpebholo, as the winner of the governorship election in Edo State.
Okpebholo was declared by INEC as the winner on Sunday following the collation of results from the governorship election that was held on Saturday.
Okpebholo, 54, secured 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 247,274 and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) who came a distant third in the race with 22,761 votes. Fourteen other candidates contested the seat but got less than the three frontline candidates.
“That Monday Okpebholo of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and returned elected,” INEC’s Returning Officer for the poll, Prof Faruk Kuta, said at exactly 09:27pm, to delightful cheers from APC supporters at the collation centre in Benin City, the state capital on Sunday.
Kuta, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, in Niger State, declared the winner of the poll after series of recesses.
The APC candidate cleared over 10 of the 18 local government areas, leaving the PDP candidate with marginal victory in the other local councils. The APC gained control in two of the three battleground senatorial districts in the state.
He cast his vote at polling unit 1, Ward 2 in Udomi Primary School, Udomi, Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State.
The APC and the opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had maintained an early lead in strongholds following the collation of some results by INEC.
Okpebholo, however, emerged as the winner following the final collation of results, and he is now set to succeed Godwin Obaseki as Edo State governor.
