- Scores 291, 447 Votes, Ighodalo 247,274, Akpata 22,763
- Don’t Gloat Over Victory, See It As Challenging Call To Service- Tinubu
- Go To Court, President Tells Aggrieved Candidates
- Buhari, Others Congratulate Okpebholo, Shaibu Laughs Last
- We Must Condemn This Rape Of Democracy, Fintiri Fires
- Don’t Resort To Violence, Destruction Of Property In Spite Of This Provocation- Obaseki
After months of campaigns, intrigues and intense voting exercise, Edo State has a new governor-elect.
He is no other than Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All- Progressives Congress (APC).
At the end of the voting exercise, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Okpebholo winner of the poll.
The electoral umpire said the APC candidate secured 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 247,274 and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) who came a distant third in the race with 22,763 votes.
Already, congratulatory messages have started pouring in. Leading the congratulatory messages, President Bola Tinubu In a statement on Sunday by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga urged Okpebholo “not to gloat over his victory but to see it as a challenging call to service”.
The President encouraged him to “demonstrate magnanimity by reaching out to his political rivals and uniting the people of Edo State to ensure its development”.
Tinubu also praised other candidates who participated in the election for their contributions to advancing Nigeria’s democracy, saying peaceful political contests, such as the one on Saturday, portray Nigeria as a stable democracy.
READ ALSO: Edo Poll: How APC’s Okpebholo Won Edo Governorship Election
“The President advised all those aggrieved by the election outcome to seek redress through the legal channels.
“I commend the INEC and our security agencies for working round the clock to conduct a successful, peaceful and largely hitch-free exercise.
“INEC has once again demonstrated that it is committed to organising a free and fair election in our country,” the President was quoted as saying
Similarly, former President Muhammadu Buhari also congratulated the Edo State Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, over his “prized, historic electoral victory.”
In a statement congratulating Okpebholo by Garba Shehu, his media aide, Buhari expressed hope that both the leaders of the incoming administration and of the parties that lost will work together to strengthen democracy and maintain the trajectory of the state’s development.
“Congratulations to the APC and the election winner, Senator Monday Okpebholo on the historic electoral victory, and my warmest wishes for a new lease of life for Edo State and its people.
“I very much hope the winners and the losers will work together to strengthen democracy and maintain the trajectory of development in the state,” the former President said.
READ ALSO: Gov. Obaseki Calls For Calm After Governorship Election Results
He commended the law enforcement agencies for the efforts that they put into ensuring a peaceful election, as well as electoral officials “who strive to improve with each election.”
“I pray that the Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country, will continue to achieve remarkable progress under democracy,” Buhari added.
In a case of having the last laugh, embattled Deputy Gov of the state, Philip Shaibu who has had a running battle with the governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki haile Okpebholo victory.
Shaibu had indicated interest in succeeding his boss but Obaseki had thrown his support behind Ighodalo, development that fractured the relationship between Shaibu and Obaseki.
Consequently, Shaibu worked and threw his weight behind Okpebholo and delivered his Local Government to the APC candidate while Obaseki could not even win his LG.
In a congratulatory post, Shaibu described the victory as a triumph of democracy.
“Today, we celebrate the triumph of democracy in Nigeria, particularly in Edo State.
“I commend the resilient people of Edo for their patience and active participation in the elections.
“Your voices were heard through your votes for Senator Monday Okpebholo and Hon. Dennis Idahosa of the All Progressives Congress. I say a big congratulations to the newly elected governor, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
“This victory solidifies the power of the people, affirming the government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
“Thank you, Edo State, and congratulations to the APC family.
READ ALSO: Tension At INEC Office As Police Chief Orders Governor Obaseki To Leave
Congratulations, AKPAKOMIZA” he wrote on X platform late Sunday night.
Meanwhile, Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, on Sunday condemned the outcome of the Edo State governorship election.
In a statement, Fintiri said he wept for Nigeria’s democracy, describing the exercise as shameful.
“I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo Gubernatorial poll. The APC’s desperate attempts to discredit me by falsely claiming I announced results won’t distract from the real issue. I merely shared results from INEC’s Irev portal, as collated by INEC from the various Local Government Areas,” Fintiri said.
“What’s truly shameful is APC’s national chairman flying into Edo with a private jet on election day, defying movement restrictions, while their Governors used armoured escorts to intimidate voters.
“This blatant disregard for democratic norms is the real brigandage. Nigerians are outraged, slamming INEC for compromising and favoring APC. The reported vote-buying, disruption of collation processes, and suspicious results with more votes than accredited voters undermine trust in our democracy. Democracy indeed is under attack.
“We must condemn this rape of democracy and demand accountability. The world is watching, and Nigeria deserves better.”.
In a related development, Obaseki, has appealed to residents to remain calm over the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election as announced by INEC on Sunday.
Reacting in a statement, Obaseki, who said the election was marred with disregard to processes and rule of law, urged aggrieved persons to explore the legal options to express their reactions.
The statement reads, “In the last few months, the various political parties have embarked on very rigorous campaigns to sell their respective candidates for the office of governor to the people of Edo State in an exercise which came to a climax yesterday with the gubernatorial election.
“The attractive thing about democracy is the power it bestows on the people to choose who governs them. Therefore, when this power is blatantly seized from the people, it is not just a tragedy, but a travesty of democracy.
“Regrettably, the outcome of the September 21st governorship election appears to have daunted the spirit of many Edo people who feel powerless in the face of the brute force of the institutions that are supposed to protect them. It is therefore understandable that many people feel sad and aggrieved.
“But in the midst of this despair, I am urging all my fellow Edo citizens to maintain calm and not resort to violence and destruction of property in spite of this provocation.
“Peace and justice will always win at the end and this is my prescription to all the good people of Edo State who feel vexed and violated at this time.
“Clearly, it is obvious to the least discerning, the amount of impunity and reckless disregard for processes and law that was displayed in this gubernatorial election
“In a democracy, there are safeguards for addressing grievances, and we hope that those affected will seek resolution for this blatant disregard of law and process.
“With this in mind, I implore all Edo people to go about their lawful businesses and rest assured of the commitment of our government to your wellbeing and security.”
