EDO GUBER: APC’s Flagbearer, Obaseki Floors PDP, Others

Godwin Obaseki

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Godwin Obaseki, has been declared winner of the Edo State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after securing a total of 319,483 votes against the first runner-up, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) who pulled a total of 253,173 votes.

The INEC chief returning officer in the state, Professor Kayode Soremekun, who announced the final results stated that Mr. Obaseki also won majority votes in 13 of the 18 local governments in the state, losing the remaining five to the PDP candidate, and thereby declared him the governor-elect of the state on account of the election.

However, the PDP in the state has rejected the results alleging that apart from not being free and fair, the results announced by the electoral body were inconsistent with the records from the polling agents, hence refused to sign the final result sheet.

In a statement by the party's state chairman, Dan Orbih in a press conference, he frowned over the outcome of the election stating that it was marred by irregularities.

“If you go by the results that were announced at the polling units and wards across the state, it shows the PDP would have won by over 30,000 votes.

“What INEC is announcing is clearly different from what we got from our agents and independent observers in the 192 wards and over 2,000 units across the state”, he said.