The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress the winner of the local government election held across 192 wards and 18 local government areas.

A total of 12 political parties fielded candidates for the election.

Chairman of EDSIEC, Johnson Aifuobhokhan, said APC candidates won all the councillorship seats and the 18 chairmanship seats.

Aifuobhokhan said the elections were free and fair.

He said the hitches noted during the election were insufficient to cancel it in any part of the state.

The EDSIEC boss urged aggrieved political parties or candidates to seek redress through legal means.

According to him, “The electoral process comprising accreditation, voting, sorting, counting, collation and declaration of results was conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Edo State Local Government Electoral Law, the 2022 Electoral Law and the amended 2026 Electoral Law Guideline issued by the Commission and other applicable regulations governing the conduct of local government elections.

“Following the completion of the coordination process at the various wards and Local Government coalition centres, the duly appointed Ward Returning Officers and the Local Government Returning Officers announced and declared the results in their respective jurisdictions.

According to the official results, the All Progressives Congress won all 18 local government chairmanship positions and all 192 councilorship seats contested in the election.

“The Commission is satisfied that the Returning Officers carried out their statutory responsibilities professionally, impartially and in accordance with the law. Overall, the election was conducted peacefully across the State. While there were minor operational challenges in a few locations, these did not substantially affect the overall conduct or outcome of the election. The Commission remains committed to continual improvement in its electoral process through periodic reviews and stakeholder engagement.” (The Nation)