. . . News Express vindicated as Sunday morning?s exclusive report on Okpebholo?s victory confirmed

After months of intense politicking in Edo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the keenly contested Saturday 21, 2024 governorship election in the South-South state.

The declaration vindicated News Express, which on Sunday morning broke the news of Okpebholo? victory in a story entitled, ?APC claims victory as INEC postpones collation of Edo guber results?.

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. 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:XXpm, 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.

Okpebholo, the Edo Central Senator, leveraged significant influence in his senatorial district, and joined forces with his colleague in the National Assembly from Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, to defeat Ighodalo, the anointed candidate of the outgoing governor.

Okpebholo?s victory could also be attributed to his alliance Dennis Idahosa, his running mate who is a federal lawmaker ; and Obaseki?s estranged deputy, Philip Shaibu.

The declaration on Sunday evening brings Okpebholo closer to achieving his goal of becoming governor of the state and places his party, the APC, on the cusp of a return to power at the Dennis Osadebe Government House.

The APC lost power in the state in 2020 after the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki, defected from the party to the PDP in the heat of an intra-party squabble and fallout with his predecessor, Oshiomhole. After he was denied the APC governorship ticket, Obaseki joined the PDP and clinched the ticket to defeat APC?s Osagie Ize-Iyamu to seal his second term which will end on November 12, 2024.

Obaseki campaigned strongly for Ighodalo, while Oshiomhole was a focal figure for Okpebholo?s campaign, attending rallies and interviews on behalf of the APC candidate.

Protests, Allegations Of Irregularities

Okpebholo was declared winner of Saturday?s election amid protests by supporters of the PDP who strongly posited that the results were fabricated and did not represent the will of the people.

There were protests in parts of the state capital and outside the INEC collation centre, which was heavily guarded for the collation exercise.

Governor Obaseki had earlier stormed the collation centre to protest the exclusion of PDP agents from the venue but was escorted out of the premises by armed security agents.

At the collation centre, PDP agent, Tony Iyoha, called for the suspension of the entire election over alleged irregularities.

Similarly, the party?s chairman in the state, Anthony Aziegbemi, explained that the discrepancies between figures on the EC8 form don?t tally with that on INEC?s IReV platform.

The PDP Governors? Forum also asked the electoral umpire to respect the will of the people of Edo State and let their votes count. The Forum alleged that the exercise was fraught with electoral malpractices.

The PDP governors led to Edo by Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, faulted some of the results announced, saying they don?t tally with those on IReV.

According to INEC, 2,249,780 persons with Permanent Voters? Cards (PVCs) decided Obaseki?s successor on Saturday, September 21, 2024.

Edo is one of the eight states where governorship elections are held off-season due to litigations and court judgements. Others are Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun and Ondo. (Largely based on a Channels TV report)

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