Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has emerged victorious at his polling unit in the ongoing Edo State governorship election. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) garnered 127 votes, defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC), which secured 35 votes. The Labour Party (LP) trailed with 11 votes at polling unit PU19, ward 04, Oredo Local Government Area (LGA).
After casting his vote, Governor Obaseki praised the electoral process at his polling unit and commended the resilience of voters who braved the heavy rain to participate in the election.
Speaking on the voter turnout, he said, “You can see despite the inclement weather, people have turned out in their large numbers. You can see the enthusiasm. It is not mid-day yet and the ballot box in my polling unit is already full. And so clearly that tells you that people are very interested because they have been mobilized. And have been very interested in this election. This is why I am not surprised.”
Obaseki expressed satisfaction with the smooth process in his unit, hoping the collation process would be equally transparent and peaceful.
“For now, I am glad with what I see, the process in my unit has been smooth. I hope the collation process will be the same. It will be peaceful and the results will be counted, and there will be no destruction.”
The governor also appreciated the presence of military personnel in the state, adding, “I am glad with the extent of military presence in the state. As you know, the federal security agencies have taken over the state. I am not the Chief Security Officer of the state, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) is the Chief Security Officer.”
Meanwhile, Labour Party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata, lost at his polling unit. Akpata polled 32 votes, trailing behind the PDP, which garnered 41 votes. APC’s candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, secured 19 votes at polling unit PU11, Ward 06, Oredo LGA.
Akpata, speaking on the process, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maintain transparency across the state and ensure that every vote counts.
“The process went well, I want to hope that this is the experience of every Edo voter, but I’m not going to make that assumption standing here. I want to wait for feedback from my agents across the state, its 192 wards, 4500 polling units.”
He further called on INEC to uphold fairness in the election process.
“We are hopeful that this will be the experience of every Edo voter, and I am calling on INEC that the playing field should remain level, nobody should be given any undue advantage. All of our agents should be allowed into collation centres… so that we can all witness the process, and be able to confirm that it was done in the manner as provided by law.”
Akpata also expressed concerns about the heavy deployment of security personnel in the state, questioning whether it was to protect the people or benefit certain individuals.
As the election unfolds, all eyes remain on INEC to ensure a credible and transparent process across all the local government areas of Edo State.