By Chidi Roberts
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Senator Monday Okpebholo, candidate of the All Progessives Congress (APC) winner of the Saturday governorship election in Edo State.
INEC’s Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Faruk Kuta, announced the winner on Sunday in Benin after the collation of results from 18 local government areas in the state.
Kuta, who is the Vice-Chancelleor, Federal University of Technology, Minna, said Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 247,274 votes.
The candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr Olumide Akpata, came third with 22,763 votes.
Kuta, therefore,, said “that Okpebholo Monday of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared winner and hereby returned elected.”
A breakdown of the results show that APC won in 11 local governments, while PDP won in seven areas.
The governor-elect is a serving senator representing Edo Central at the National Assembly.
Earlier, the agent of the PDP at the collation centre, Mr Osaigbovo Iyhoa, had demanded the suspension of the declaration of the resuls.
He said the results were fraught with irregularities in many local government areas.
He added that the party had submitted a petition to the commission, urging the returning officer to suspend the process, pending the determination of issues raised.
