EDO STATE:  Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party and Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress are in a close fight as the Independent National Electoral Commission uploads the results of Saturday’s Edo State gubernatorial election.

97% of the election results had been uploaded to the Results Viewing portal by INEC at the time this report was submitted.

Voters from across the state turned out in great numbers for the election, despite early morning rain that delayed the delivery of materials to the voting places.

The APC candidate is leading in the Edo North Senatorial District, while the PDP candidate is leading in the Edo South Senatorial District, according to a preliminary analysis of election results that have been posted to the IReV.

Edo State is divided into three, Edo North, Edo South, and Edo Central are the three senatorial zone of Edo State’s total of eighteen local government areas. The APC has traditionally exercised control of Edo North, while the PDP has consistently demonstrated strength in Edo Central and Edo South.

While Edo central is always a battle ground for both political party though the APC won the recent senatorial seat

Ighodalo, Okpebholo win polling units

The PDP and APC candidates won their polling units, while the LP candidate, Akpata, lost his polling unit.

At Ewohimi, Unit 11, Ward 1 in Esan South-East Local Government Area of the state, where PDP Ighodalo cast his ballot, he polled 200 votes, while APC Okpebholo had 45 votes.

However, the APC candidate floored his PDP counterpart at Unit 03, Ward 1, Uwessan in Esan Central Local Government Area of the state, where he (Okpebholo) cast his ballot. Okpebholo polled 102 votes, while both Ighodalo and the Labour Party candidate, Akpata, received one vote each.

The Edo APC leader, Adams Oshiomhole, delivered his polling unit to the APC. At Iyamho, Ward 10, Unit 01 in Etsako West Local Government Area, where the former governor voted, the APC polled 403 votes, while the PDP and ADC each had one vote.

At Polling Unit 19, Ward 04 in the Oredo LGA where Obaseki cast his vote, the PDP polled 127 votes, APC had 35 votes, and LP got 11 votes.

Meanwhile, the LP candidate, Akpata, lost in his polling unit in Ward 6 of Oredo Local Government Area. He received only two votes, while the PDP polled 41 votes and the APC garnered 19.

Face off in strongholds

The results uploaded on INEC IREV late Saturday evening indicated that Okpebholo and Ighodalo are in a tight race for victory.

In wards 1, 2, 4 and 6, which had a total of 43 polling units in Igueben LG, Ighodalo led with 2,778 votes, while Okpebholo polled 2,189 votes. In three wards in Ovia North-East LG, Okpebholo polled a total of 1,824 votes, while Ighodalo had 1,745 votes.

In six wards with a total of 60 polling units in the Ikpoba/Okha LG, Ighodalo led with 3,412 votes, followed by Okpebholo, who polled 1,232 votes.

In two wards with a total of 20 polling units in Oredo LG, Ighodalo led with 879 votes, while Okpebholo secured 538 votes.

In five wards and a total of 44 polling units in the Uhunmwode LG, Okpebholo led with 2,574 votes, but Ighodalo polled 2,172 votes.

From figures calculated in 103 polling units in the Esan Central LG, the APC led with 8,132 votes, while the PDP trailed with 6,902.

Figures calculated from 24 polling units in Owan West LG showed that Ighodalo had 1,979 votes, while Okpebholo secured 2,493.

Also, from 13 polling units in Etsako East LG, Okpebholo led with 2,421 votes, followed by Ighodalo who scored 968 votes.

Figures from five wards and 10 polling units each from Esan West LGA showed that Okpebholo polled 4,105 votes, Ighodalo had 3,264 votes and Akpata had 41 votes.

In 151 polling units in 11 wards in the Owan West LGA, Ighodalo led with 26,870 votes, Okpebholo had 11,211 and Akpata had 184 votes.

In five polling units in two wards in Egor LG, Ighodalo led with 385 votes, while Okpebholo had 313 votes.

As of 11pm on Saturday, the final results collation had yet to begin at the INEC state collation centre in Benin city, the Edo state capital.

Read other related News: We Cites Thuggery, Vote Buying In Edo Gov Election – YIAGA

Parties trade blame.

Though the election was violence-free, there were reports of open inducement of voters with cash and food items by agents of the various political parties.

The security agencies made some arrests while the leading parties were locked in a war of words over the development.

The PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, alleged electoral fraud and accused the APC of vote-buying, while also lamenting the alleged oppression of their supporters by the police.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP alleged massive fraud.

The party called for the cancellation of the election result in the affected polling unit and urged authorities to address the reported infraction.

Also speaking to reporters after casting his vote in his ward, the PDP candidate, Ighodalo, decried delayed voting, saying INEC did not justify the claim that it was prepared for the poll.

“I am not happy with the process that delayed the delivery of the materials. This is a single-state election. INEC had all the time to prepare. We are not comfortable with the little shenanigans that are going on. There are rumours that some people in the opposition are trying to undermine the election process.

The worst is that they go round trying to buy votes. They buy votes for N15,000 to N20,000. They are trying everything to subvert the process,” Ighodalo said.

He, however, expressed confidence that he would win the election despite the obstacles.

“The kind of numbers I am hearing from Edo North, Edo Central, and Edo South overwhelms me. You know, in Nigeria, funny things happen. I don’t know the magic anybody wants to perform.

“I believe INEC to deliver free and fair election until they prove otherwise. We will win hands down in this election,” he added.

Similarly, the deputy governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Prince Asamah Kadiri, alleged vote-buying, pointing accusing fingers to the APC.

Kadiri made the allegation after casting his vote at Ward 1, Unit 6 in Estako West Local Government Area of the state.

He said, “It is sad that the APC is engaging in vote-buying in my unit and the reports available to me across Auchi and the Edo North district show that the APC is buying votes for N10,000.”

However, the chairman of the LP praised “some courageous voters” who rejected the cash offer and persisted in voting their ballots for the party of their choice.
Kadiri also praised INEC’s handling of the election process.

However, Senator Adams Oshiomole, the APC’s leader in Edo State, immediately denied the claim that his party was engaged in vote-buying.

The former governor characterized the voting process as smooth in an interview with media shortly after he cast his ballot in Iyamho, Ward 10 Unit 01 in the Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State.

“When I hear accusations like these, I find them ridiculous. Though you’ve been informed, have you seen any evidence of their exchanging money? Voting turned out to be actually successful

Okpebholo, who voted at Polling Unit 003, Uwessan 1, Esan Central  local government, praised INEC for the conduct of the poll, saying, “What I am seeing here is testimony that INEC is getting it right.”

He boasted that the PDP and other parties would not get a single vote in his polling unit.PDP or whatever will not get one vote here because this is my home and my people love me,” he said.

The candidate of the Labour Party, Olumide Akpata, also described the process as satisfactory.. Speaking after casting his vote at Polling Unit 11, Ward 6 in Oredo Local Government Area, Akpata said, “I voted according to the voting process and everything went well. I want to hope that this is the experience of every Edo voter.

I cannot make assumptions standing here. I will wait for feedback from across the different units and 192 wards in the state. We are hopeful that this will be the experience of every Edo voter.”

He called on INEC to avoid bias, saying, “Nobody should be given any undue advantage.”

Vote-buying

“When I hear accusations like these, I find them ridiculous. Although you’ve been informed, have you seen any instances of their exchanging money? Voters supporting us came out in numbers because they desired good governance.

People came out to visit me during our campaign, not because I wanted to offer them something, but rather because of the things that I had done for them as governor.

All of the structures  i established 12, 13, and more years ago still stand, yet the ones established by the current government are destroyed within a year.

Thus, our people have noticed the difference. Certain individuals consistently tell me that they haven’t since I left the government.

Despite the rain, voters trooped out to cast their votes, a situation that the political parties capitalised on to sway them with monetary and food offers.

Vote-buying was particularly pronounced in the Edo Central Senatorial District, where Ighodalo and Okpebholo hail from.

Edo North was also turned into a theatre of vote-buying with the major parties striving to outdo one another.

It was reported last week that ahead of the poll, the major parties were amassing “war chests” in a desperate bid to compromise voters.

A highly credible source said the Edo poll could set a new record for vote-buying in the history of elections in the country.

“A vote could go as high as between N15,000 and N20,000. There are plans by agents of some of the parties to mop up voter cards. How they intend to use the cards is what nobody knows. This is why the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission are being deployed for the election,” the source added.

Our correspondents reported that Edo Central Senatorial District with five LGs recorded a large turnout of voters, a situation the parties tried to capitalise on to secure votes.

The voters, including the elderly, defied the early morning rain to cast their votes, despite the delayed arrival of electoral materials owing to the rain.

Our correspondents, who went around the district, observed that party agents and supporters jostled to outwit one another as they lobbied voters with various amounts of money and food items, in order to sway voters for their preferred candidates.

At Unit 9, Boot 9 Dumontan Polling Unit in Irrua, Esan LGA, voting commenced at about 9:20 am with a few voters casting their votes in an orderly manner as directed by the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

However, incidents of vote-buying were recorded as a middle-aged man was seen sharing about N2,000 each to every voter after casting their ballots.

The money was presented to the voters after enquiring from them which party they voted for.

Similarly, at Ward 5, Polling Units 1-6 in Ewuare Primary School, Irrua, Esan LGA, it took the arrival of EFCC officials to halt the sharing of money

Before the arrival of the EFCC’s officials, various major political parties were seen sharing different amounts of money, including food items to voters.

As the voting was going on, party agents and supporters were seen lobbying voters with cash and food items.

Similarly, at Ward 3 in Ewulomi Primary School in Igueben LGA, vote-buying was recorded as agents and supporters of two major political parties lobbied voters with money and other material things.

At the three polling units visited near the Ogboji area in Irrua and Alli Square in Ekpoma centres, it was a similar case of massive vote-buying to the delight of the voters.

‘The EFCC had said it was deploying 100 operatives in Edo to forestall vote-buying. On Saturday, some of the culprits involved in vote-buying were arrested, while the major parties were locked in a war of words.

EFCC operatives arrested a suspected vote buyer at Ward 7, Egor Local Government Area, Edo South Senatorial District.

The unidentified suspect was taken away by operatives of the anti-graft agency.

Police arrest vote-buyers, thugs

  1. In a statement, the Force Public Relation Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, stated that eight people had been taken into arrest by the police on suspicion of buying votes.Two of the suspects, Emotingham Godspower and Farawei Isaac, were prominent PDP members, according to Adejobi.

    He named the other suspects as Safianu Saratu, Salihu Lukman, Yusuf Aminat, Suleiman Abdurahim, and Fatima Yakubu, who had been arrested in Auchi’s Aibotse Secondary School close to the Meremu Hotel.

    He stated that in addition to an undisclosed amount of money, a stockpile of guns, pre-filled ballots peppers, and an extensive strategy detailing voting techniques, the suspects were apprehended.

    On September 20, 2024, at around 1900 hours, police agents carried out coordinated raids on designated black spots as part of yet another extensive operation.

    “Through a well-organized effort, two main suspects were apprehended,