As Nigerians await the final outcome of the governorship election held in Edo State yesterday, snippets of results seen so far showed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr Asue Ighodalo, and his All Progressives Congress (APC) challenger, Mr Monday Okpebholo, are so close.
Edo State has a total of 2,629,025 million registered voters, but only 2,249,870 million of them collected their permanent voters cards (PVCs) to vote in today’s election.
The state has a total of 18 local government areas, divided into Edo North, Edo South and Edo Central.
While Edo North is the traditional stronghold of the APC, the PDP holds sway in Edo Central and Edo South.
The state is divided into 18 local government areas, 192 electoral wards and 4,519 polling units.
Initial results showed that at Ewohimi, Unit 11, Ward 1 in Esan South-East Local Government Area of the state, where PDP Ighodalo cast his ballot, he polled 200 votes, while APC Okpebholo had 45 votes.
However, the APC candidate floored his PDP counterpart at Unit 03, Ward 1, Uwesan in Esan Central Local Government Area of the state, where he (Okpebholo) cast his ballot. Okpebholo polled 102 votes, while both Ighodalo and the Labour Party candidate, Akpata, received one vote each.
The Edo APC leader, Oshiomhole, delivered his polling unit to the APC.
At Iyamho, Ward 10, Unit 01 in Etsako West Local Government Area, where the former governor voted, the APC polled 403 votes, while the PDP and ADC each had one vote.
At Polling Unit 19, Ward 04 in the Oredo LGA where Obaseki cast his vote, the PDP polled 127 votes, APC had 35 votes, and LP got 11 votes.
The candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Olumide Akpata, lost in his polling unit in Ward 6 of Oredo Local Government Area. He received only two votes, while the PDP polled 41 votes and the APC garnered 19.
In wards 1, 2, 4 and 6, with a total of 43 polling units in Igueben LG, Ighodalo led with 2,778 votes, while Okpebholo polled 2,189 votes. In three wards in Ovia North-East LG, Okpebholo polled a total of 1,824 votes, while Ighodalo had 1,745 votes.
In six wards with a total of 60 polling units in the Ikpoba/Okha LG, Ighodalo led with 3,412 votes, followed by Okpebholo, who polled 1,232 votes.
In two wards with a total of 20 polling units in Oredo LG, Ighodalo led with 879 votes, while Okpebholo secured 538 votes.
In five wards and a total of 44 polling units in the Uhunmwode LG, Okpebholo led with 2,574 votes, but Ighodalo polled 2,172 votes.
From figures calculated in 103 polling units in the Esan Central LG, the APC led with 8,132 votes, while the PDP trailed with 6,902.
Figures calculated from 24 polling units in Owan West LG showed that Ighodalo had 1,979 votes, while Okpebholo secured 2,493.
In Ovia South West LG, the PDP garnered 871, while the APC had 972 out of the figures calculated from 17 polling units.
Also, from 13 polling units in Etsako East LG, Okpebholo led with 2,421 votes, followed by Ighodalo who scored 968 votes.
Figures from five wards and 10 polling units each from Esan West LGA showed that Okpebholo polled 4,105 votes, Ighodalo had 3,264 votes and Akpata had 41 votes.
In 151 polling units in 11 wards in the Owan West LGA, Ighodalo led with 26,870 votes, Okpebholo had 11,211 and Akpata had 184 votes.
In five polling units in two wards in Egor LG, Ighodalo led with 385 votes, while Okpebholo had 313 votes.
Calculations of results uploaded on INEC IREV late Saturday evening indicated that Okpebholo and Ighodalo were in a tight race for victory.
Earlier yesterday, the PDP had demanded the arrest and prosecution of the presiding officer of the Independent National Electoral (INEC), Ms Obozuwa Josephine, for allegedly allocating non-existent votes to APC.
This was contained in a statement posted on the official X handle of the PDP, on Election Day.
“The election result sheet for Osholo Primary School Polling Unit, Weppa in Etsako East Local Government Area shows that whereas 213 voters were accredited, Obozuwa Josephine criminally and fraudulently allocated 352 votes to the APC, 52 to the PDP and one to the LP, giving a total of 406 as votes cast.
“It is highly provocative that the INEC PO Obozuwa Josephine could be so compromised by the APC to audaciously and feloniously allocate unearned 352 votes to the APC above the 213 voters officially accredited in that Polling Unit.
“Our party holds that Obozuwa Josephine’s action is one of the many cases of electoral fraud, ballot manipulation, betrayal of public trust and crime against the state perpetrated in this election by the APC and unscrupulous INEC officials which must not go unpunished,” the party stated.
Speaking to reporters shortly after casting his vote yesterday, Okpebholo said INEC was getting the conduct of the election right.
“What I am seeing here is testimony that INEC is getting it right,” he said.
“PDP or whatever will not get one vote here because this is my home and my people love me. I have nothing to fear.
“What they are saying about security is hyping. No knockout or a stick of matches. It is just to scare people away from voting.
“You know Obaseki… I don’t know… his wisdom I don’t know. He wanted to cause fire in Edo State, but by the grace of God, everything is moving perfectly,” he said.
Ighodalo also spoke to reporters after voting at Okaegben-Ewohimi.
He said from the reports from PDP’s leaders, members and coordinators across Edo, the poll was peaceful and going on smoothly with massive turnout albeit with late arrival of electoral materials
“Our people have been patient, and I love the way they have been patient, though they are here now.
“I want to keep an open mind, because we had rumour before that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been compromised, but I do not want to believe.
“I want to give the benefit of the doubt that INEC will create a free and fair level-playing field.
“What I heard before was that INEC would be suppressed in our strongholds, but I still want to give benefit of the doubt, and let us see how things will go in the next few hours.
“We noticed that in many of our strongholds, there was delay a bit. I do not want to jump to conclusions, because the INEC Chairman (Prof. Mahmood Yakubu) has assured us that they are going to do everything humanly possible to ensure free-and-fair election, and I do not see any reason why we should not believe them, and the rest of the day will show whether they truly acted to their words.
“In one of the wards here, Ward 10 in my local government, there is no material, no officials, and we do not have anything yet. But it may be because of the distance.
“I want everybody to be calm and should come out to vote. They should not be intimidated.
“They should come out in numbers to vote. They should not be afraid of anything, because when you come out to vote, our people have been patient, and I love the way they have been, though they are here.
“I want to keep an open mind, because we had rumours before that INEC had been compromised. But I do not want to believe; I want to give the benefit of the doubt that INEC will create a free and fair, level-playing field,” he added.
With Punch, Vanguard, The Nation reports
