Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who mainly campaigned through proxies, has emerged winner of the Edo State acrimonious governorship election held on Saturday.
According to the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, from 18 local government areas (LGAs), Okpebholo secured a total of 291,667 votes.
His closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), came second with 247,655 votes
While Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP), finished third, garnering a total of 22,763 votes.
The PDP immediately rejected the result.
Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, who is the Chairman, Edo State Governorship Election National Campaign Council, on Sunday said the Independent National Electoral Commission should be held accountable for violating the Electoral Act.
Responding in a statement also on Sunday, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba stated that Fintiri presented results from the polling units showing Ighodalo in a clear lead.
The statement said, “The Peoples Democratic Party stands by the results of the Edo State Governorship election as garnered by its polling agents across the state and echoed by the Chairman of the Edo PDP National Campaign Council, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, which indicate that the PDP candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, clearly won the election.
“The PDP asserts that the rush, venom, and hauling of insults with which the All Progressives Congress attacked Governor Fintiri only confirms APC’s violent desperation to cover its manipulations and steal the mandate freely given to Dr. Asue Ighodalo by the people of Edo State as reflected in the genuine votes cast at the Polling Units.
“As Governor Fintiri presented, the results collated from the Polling Units have Asue Ighodalo in a clear lead before the state collation exercise was hijacked by the APC, which, in connivance of some unscrupulous INEC and security officials, engaged in blatant alteration and substitution of the genuine results with fabricated figures in favour of the defeated APC candidate.”
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