Following his triumph in the Edo State gubernatorial election, Monday Okpebholo, the candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been formally granted a certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The presentation, which confirmed Okpebholo as the legitimately elected governor, took place on Thursday at the INEC headquarters in Abuja. Eyes Of Lagos reports,
Okpebholo won the election held on September 21, securing 291,667 votes, defeating his closest competitor, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who received 247,274 votes. Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) finished in third place with 22,763 votes.
In this election, Okpebholo’s APC party made significant gains, winning in over 10 of the 18 local government areas, while the PDP managed to claim marginal victories in the remaining councils.
Notably, the APC dominated in two of the three critical senatorial districts within the state, reflecting a decisive shift in the political landscape of Edo.
In the meantime, the PDP disagrees with the results of the most recent INEC-announced Edo State governorship poll.
The PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, expressed his party’s displeasure with the results during a press conference in Abuja on Monday. He claimed that the people of Edo State legitimately voted for PDP candidate Dr. Asue Ighodalo and that they expect him to be named the new governor.
