Senator Monday Okpebholo, the newly elected governor of Edo State, and his deputy, Hon. Denis Idahosa, were presented with their Certificates of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday, September 26.
The presentation was made by Mrs. Rhoda Gomos, INEC’s national commissioner, representing the Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at the commission’s headquarters.
The event was attended by key political figures, including the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, National Secretary Senator Bashiru Ajibola, Minister for Niger Delta Affairs Engr. Abubakar Momoh, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, and the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Phillip Shuaibu, among others.
Senator Okpebholo is set to take over from Governor Godwin Obaseki, whose tenure ends on November 11, 2024, after completing two terms in office.
The governor-elect secured his victory in the gubernatorial election held on Saturday, September 21, 2024, where he emerged as the winner with 291,667 votes.
His closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), garnered 247,274 votes, while Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata placed third with 22,763 votes.
The APC won in 10 out of Edo’s 18 local government areas, while the PDP claimed victory in the remaining eight.
INEC officially declared Okpebholo the governor-elect on Sunday, with the announcement made by Prof. Faruq Adamu Kuta, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, at the INEC Collation Centre in Benin City.
Meanwhile, the candidate of the Labour Party in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, has alleged that there was internal vote-selling by some members of the party during the election.
Speaking on ‘Politics Today’ a Channels Television programme, on Wednesday night, Akpata claimed that widespread economic hardship clouded voters’ thinking, which led to the compromise.
He also tagged the election as a “transaction”, alleging widespread vote-buying by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
