By Cyprian Ajah

The Edo Governorship election held over the weekend has come but not gone. In a contest, a winner must emerge. Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was declared winner of the Edo State 2024 governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. According to the electoral body, Okpebholo scored 291,667 votes to beat his opponents Dr Asue Ighodalo, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who scored 247,655 votes.
Labour Party, LP, candidate, Olumide Akpata, came a distant third with 22,763 votes.

Meanwhile, the declaration of APC candidate Senator Okpebholo as the winner, did not augur well with the PDP camp who at the middle of the election complained of irregularities especially the process of collation of results from different locations. The PDP Campaign Council and PDP governors, picked holes in the hitches that trailed the collation process midway and urged the INEC to address the situation.

Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri in particular strongly condemned the results of Edo State governorship election. He expressed deep concern for Nigeria’s democracy.

Fintiri described the election as “shameful” and criticised the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, for defying movement restrictions by flying into the state with a private jet.