On Saturday, September 21, 2024, Edo voters cast ballots to choose the PDP’s Godwin Obaseki as the next governor. Obaseki’s two-term term ends on November 12, 2024.
The residents of the state are still holding their breath, though, as they await the formal announcement of the results from all 18 of Edo’s local government areas, more than 24 hours after the voting process began.
With the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the main contestants, the election has been extremely bitter. The former had charged the later of rigging the election through a conspiracy with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials.
Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate, sparked concerns on Saturday night when he claimed that results from more than 20 polling places had been tampered with.
There have also been claims of incidents at certain collation centers within the state, when the PDP asserted that its representatives were refused entry to observe the proceedings.
Obaseki consequently stormed the INEC office in Benin early on Sunday to express the party’s dissatisfaction with the way the collation was proceeding.
After an APC official and supporter protest, security personnel later escorted the governor out of the building.
Results of the Edo governorship election are announced by PDP Speaking to the media early on Sunday, the party charged that INEC had broken the Electoral Act by short-changing the collation process in order to rig the results of the election.
The PDP made this claim during a speech at the party’s situation room in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, according to Ahmadu Fintiri, the governor of Adamawa State and chairman of the Edo PDP National Campaign Council.
Fintiri asserted that before the procedure was tainted by anomalies, the party agents compiled findings from 12 of the 18 local government districts.
“These are the results that have been gathered at the point of the collation exercise’s termination,” he stated.
1 Esan Central LG – PDP-10,990; APC-8,618
2 Esan North-East LG, PDP-12,522, APC 10,648
3 Esan South-East LG – PDP-14,199; APC-8,398.
4 Esan West LG – PDP-11,004, APC-12,952
5 Igueben LG: PDP-8,470, APC-5,407
6 Etsako Central LG – PDP-8,618; APC-10,990
7th Orhionmwon LG – PDP-16,614; APC-16,059
8 Ovia North-East LG: PDP-15,311; APC-13,225
9 Ovia South-West LG: PDP-10,260; APC-10,150
10 Owan West LG: PDP-11,284; APC-12,277
11 Owan East LG: PDP-14,189, APC-19,380.
12 Uhunmwonde LG: PDP-9,639, APC-8,673 According to the numbers he presented, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the APC candidate, received 136,777 votes, while Ighodalo received 143,100.
“INEC should be held accountable for breaking the Electoral Act, not me. I did not declare the results; rather, I merely provided the public with the precise number obtained from our collation agent prior to INEC interfering with the process.
We are requesting that INEC adhere to its regulations, as REC is not authorized to declare results or transfer collation to INEC headquarters.
The governor of Adamawa declared, “This is our stance, and we will return for consultation.”
Fintiri demanded that the collation procedure be reinstated for the Edo election in compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.
“With this election, we hereby demand that the collation process be reinstated in compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.
He continued, “Any further illegal and unlawful action will be an abuse of the Electoral Act 2022 and a violation of the people.”
