By Abubakar Yunusa
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has uploaded over 95% of polling unit result sheets of Saturday’s Edo State Governorship Election on the commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Out of the 4519 polling units, the electoral umpire has uploaded the result sheets of 4316 polling units on the portal as of 10:00 pm on Saturday.
On Saturday, September 21, 2024, the people of Edo State in South-South Nigeria voted to elect a new governor to succeed the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki, whose constitutional eight-year double terms will end on November 12, 2024.
Edo is one of the eight states where governorship elections are held off-season due to litigations and court judgements. Others are Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun and Ondo.
According to INEC, there are 2,629,025 total number of registered voters and 4,519 polling units in Edo State. Out of this figure, 2,249,780 (85.57%) have Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and will decide Obaseki’s successor.
Though 17 candidates are jostling for the office, analysts have described the forthcoming poll as a three-horse race involving Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP).
Akpata is a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and he is solidly supported by 2023 LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who in about a year galvanised over six million votes in 2023 riding on the crest of the ‘Obidient’ movement.
Ighodalo, former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), secured the endorsement of the incumbent governor, Obaseki, who shunned his deputy and party man, Philip Shaibu.
Shaibu and former governor Adams Oshiomhole have pledged their support for Okpebholo.
In terms of party strongholds, the APC has current senators in Edo North (Oshiomhole) and Edo Central (Okpebholo) while the Labour Party’s senator Neda Imasuen is from Edo South where Akpata hails from.