INEC has officially declared Okpebholo the winner of the Edo gubernatorial poll, marking a major win in the state elections. Full details inside.

The All Progressives Congress’s (APC) Monday Okpebholo has been declared the victor of the September 21, 2024, Edo governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The 54-year-old Okpebholo defeated the 247,274 votes received by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Asue Ighodalo and the 22,761 votes got by Labour Party (LP) candidate Olumide Akpata, with 291,667 votes. Though they were well behind the top three, fourteen other contenders were still in the race.

The Federal University of Technology, Minna Vice-Chancellor and INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof. Faruk Kuta, made the following announcement: “That Okpebholo Monday of APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”

Supporters of the APC cheered loudly when he made his statement at the Benin City collation center on Sunday at 9:27 p.m.

In almost ten of Edo’s eighteen local government districts, the APC candidate prevailed, with the PDP taking victory in a couple of them.

Read Also: Obaseki Loses Local Govt to APC in Edo Election

Ighodalo, the candidate backed by the outgoing governor, was defeated in large part thanks to Okpebholo’s stronghold in Edo Central and the influence of current Senator Adams Oshiomhole from Edo North and former Edo governor.

Philip Shaibu, the estranged deputy governor of Edo State, and Okpebholo’s partnership with federal politician Dennis Idahosa, his running mate, also contributed to his victory.

With this victory, Okpebholo will soon take over the Dennis Osadebe Government House, giving the APC its first power since Governor Godwin Obaseki defected to the PDP in 2020.

Following a rift with Oshiomhole, Obaseki defeated Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC to win the PDP’s candidacy for a second term.

But there was some dispute around Okpebholo’s victory announcement. PDP supporters said there was manipulation of the election results. In several regions of the state, protests broke out as people voiced their concerns over anomalies. Governor Obaseki was hauled out of the collation center by security officers when he showed there to voice his concerns about the exclusion of PDP agents.

PDP agent Tony Iyoha demanded that the election be suspended because of purported anomalies, and Anthony Aziegbemi, the state chairman of the party, drew attention to differences between the data provided by INEC and those displayed on the IReV platform.