INEC Uploads Over 88% Of Edo Gov Election Results On IReV

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has uploaded more than 88% of the polling unit results from the Edo State Governorship Election held on Saturday. As of 6:40 PM, the commission had uploaded results from 3,995 out of 4,519 polling units onto its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

On September 21, 2024, voters in Edo State went to the polls to elect a new governor to succeed the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki, whose two-term tenure ends on November 12, 2024. Edo is among eight states in Nigeria where governorship elections are held off-cycle due to previous legal disputes and court rulings. The other states include Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun, and Ondo.

INEC data shows that Edo State has 2,629,025 registered voters across 4,519 polling units, with 2,249,780 (85.57%) voters holding Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) eligible to decide who will replace Obaseki.

Although 17 candidates are running for the governorship, the race is seen as a contest primarily between three candidates: 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, a former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president, is strongly backed by Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, who garnered over six million votes in the last election through the “Obidient” movement. Ighodalo, a former chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), has the support of outgoing Governor Obaseki, who chose to endorse him over his deputy, Philip Shaibu. Meanwhile, Okpebholo has the backing of former governor Adams Oshiomhole and Shaibu.

In terms of regional party influence, the APC holds the Senate seats for Edo North (Oshiomhole) and Edo Central (Okpebholo), while the Labour Party’s Neda Imasuen represents Edo South, where Akpata hails from.