The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged victorious in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, the home LGA of Governor Godwin Obaseki, in the recently concluded governorship election.

According to the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC’s candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, secured 30,780 votes, defeating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who garnered 24,938 votes.

Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata finished in third place with 5,389 votes.

The results announced at the State Collation Centre in Benin showed the following figures:

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Registered Voters: 356,242

Accredited Voters: 64,802

Total Votes Cast: 64,042

APC: 30,780

PDP: 24,938

LP: 5,389

At the directive of President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima departed Abuja on Sunday for the United States to represent Nigeria at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

President Tinubu tasked Shettima with leading the Nigerian delegation to the high-level global forum, as the President remains focused on addressing critical domestic matters, including the aftermath of the recent flood disaster.

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A statement by the Vice President’s spokesperson, Stanley Nkwocha, confirmed that Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national address at the Assembly, participate in several key meetings, and engage in bilateral discussions on the sidelines.

The General Debate, under the theme “Leaving no one behind: Acting Together for the Advancement of Peace, Sustainable Development and Human Dignity for Present and Future Generations,” will take place in New York from September 24 to 28, 2024.

PDP’s Governorship Candidate, Asue Ighodalo, has expressed deep concerns over alleged irregularities in the Edo State governorship election held on Saturday, calling it potentially the worst election in Nigeria’s history.

During a press conference at the PDP Situation Room in Benin City on Sunday, Ighodalo criticized the conduct of the election, claiming that his party’s agents were barred from entering the Collation Centre, a move he described as a threat to the nation’s democracy.

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Ighodalo cited multiple instances of alleged discrepancies in the voting process, particularly concerning the tally of accredited voters and total votes announced in over 20 polling units.

According to him, the total votes exceeded the number of accredited voters, which he said was impossible and signaled electoral malpractice.

“There are significant irregularities happening,” Ighodalo stated, “This process is unacceptable, and it seems like there is a deliberate scheme to manipulate the results.”

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He also condemned the reported violence at polling units, blaming thugs allegedly supported by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some security agents for disrupting the process.

“This kind of election rigging and violence should not be happening in Nigeria in this era,” Ighodalo added, expressing disappointment at the state of the democratic process in the country.

Senator Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, is maintaining a significant lead as collation of results continues in the Edo State governorship election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has so far announced results from 16 out of 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

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Okpebholo has garnered a total of 244,549 votes, giving him a 48,393 vote advantage over Asue Ighodahlo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who has secured 195,954 votes.

Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) is trailing behind with 13,348 votes.

Okpebholo has claimed victory in 10 LGAs, while Ighodahlo has won in 6 LGAs.

Below are the results declared by INEC so far:

Etsako West LGA

APC: 32,107

LP: 2,116

PDP: 17,483

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Etsako Central LGA

APC: 11,906

LP: 381

PDP: 8,455

Etsako East LGA

APC: 20,167

LP: 604

PDP: 9,683

Owan West LGA

APC: 19,380

LP: 446

PDP: 14,189

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Orhionmwon LGA

APC: 16,059

LP: 556

PDP: 14,614

Ovia South-West LGA

APC: 10,150

LP: 849

PDP: 10,260

Esan North-East LGA

APC: 10,648

LP: 194

PDP: 12,522

Esan Central LGA

APC: 10,990

LP: 418

PDP: 8,618

Akoko Edo LGA

APC: 34,847

LP: 2,239

PDP: 15,865

Egor LGA

APC: 16,760

LP: 1,966

PDP: 14,658

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Esan South-East LGA

APC: 8,398

LP: 98

PDP: 14,199

With two more LGAs yet to declare, the final result of the election is expected soon.

So far, INEC has declared results from 16 out of the 18 local government areas, with two more expected later in the day.

Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Monday Okpebholo is on the lead, as at the time of this report.

After months of campaigns and political intrigue, voters in Edo State cast their ballots in the governorship election.

Supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have taken to Ramat Park in Benin City, celebrating even though the official result of the Edo Governorship Election has not yet been announced.

At the time of this report, the collation of results is still ongoing.

The election, held on Saturday, saw three major political parties leading the race, with 17 candidates competing for the governorship seat.

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Party supporters gathered in the streets, exchanging chants and victory songs, each side claiming success in the poll.

Security forces, including police and military personnel, struggled to keep order as the rival groups engaged in spirited celebrations.

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, along with Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and PDP governorship candidate Asue Ighodalo, have denied reports that they announced results from the collation center. This comes as Obaseki defended his visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office earlier.

According to Obaseki, he visited the INEC office in the early hours of Sunday to inquire about the delay in the collation of results for the governorship election.

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Speaking at a press conference alongside Fintiri and Ighodalo, Obaseki explained that his visit prompted INEC to reschedule the collation process to 10 a.m.

Governor Fintiri clarified that he did not announce official results but merely shared figures from polling units and local governments, provided by party agents.

“I didn’t announce any results. I only shared figures from our agents before INEC halted the process. The real violation of the Electoral Act is on INEC’s part, not mine,” Fintiri stated.

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Obaseki was reportedly at the INEC office around 2 a.m., where he stayed for nearly three hours.

His presence sparked protests from members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), leading Deputy Inspector General of Police Frank Mba to intervene and ask Obaseki to leave the premises.

In the press briefing, Obaseki argued that his visit helped push INEC to release information about the status of the results, which party agents had said was being withheld.

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“At around 1 a.m., I received reports that the collation was meant to be moved to the INEC head office, but our party agents were being denied access. I reached out to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for an explanation but received no response. I then went to the INEC office myself to understand what steps were being taken to continue the collation process,” Obaseki explained.

“When I arrived at 2 a.m., no collation was happening, and the REC refused to come out and provide any information. It wasn’t until after my meeting with DIG Frank Mba that INEC announced around 5 a.m. that collation would resume at 10 a.m.”

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Obaseki emphasized that his visit was solely to obtain information from INEC, as the commission had failed to inform the public about what was happening with the collation process.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially commenced the collation of results for the Edo State gubernatorial election.

The process is being overseen by the returning officer, Prof. Faruk Adamu Kuta, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

In a press briefing on Sunday, Mohammed Haruna, National Commissioner and member of the Information and Voter Education Committee, announced that state-level collation was set to begin.

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He added that the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal had been activated to enable the upload of polling unit results.

According to Haruna, collation has already been completed at all 192 wards, with most of the local government areas having concluded their processes as well.

Officials responsible for collation have either arrived at or are en route to the state collation center in Benin City.

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He emphasized that collation would proceed in line with the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s guidelines.

Haruna also assured that mechanisms were in place to address complaints during the collation process, including provisions to review results declared under duress.

INEC urged party agents, observers, and media representatives to be given unhindered access to the collation centers and called on security agencies to maintain vigilance and professionalism until the process is concluded.

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The Commission also praised the peaceful conduct of the election thus far and reiterated its commitment to transparency and fairness in the final stages of the election.

The Labour Party Caretaker Committee, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, has failed in its attempt to gain official recognition from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the legitimate national executives of the party.

The committee, which was inaugurated on September 6 during a stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia by Abia State Governor Alex Otti and endorsed by former Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi, sought to replace the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC).

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The Nenadi Usman faction had approached INEC, requesting formal recognition, arguing that the tenure of the Abure-led NWC had expired.

However, INEC declined to act on the request, citing constitutional issues and procedural irregularities in the process followed by the Usman-led group.

A member of the caretaker committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that INEC rejected the first letter of recognition because it contained a signature from a representative of Peter Obi, which the commission refused to accept, insisting that no proxy endorsements would be allowed.

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Despite resubmitting the letter with the correct signatures, INEC still did not respond, leaving the committee in limbo.

The source further disclosed that the committee sought legal intervention from an Aba High Court, requesting an injunction to prevent the Abure-led NWC from continuing to operate as the party’s executives.

However, the court denied their request, insisting that the case needed to go through an interlocutory process.

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When the matter was brought up for hearing on Tuesday, the judge refused to proceed, returning the case to the Chief Judge of Abia State for reassignment.

The failure of the Aba court to rule in their favor reportedly frustrated the plans of the Usman-led faction, which had been prepared to roll out its leadership pending a favorable court ruling.

Instead, the group was advised to await the outcome of a related case currently before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Despite these setbacks, the Nenadi Usman committee remains determined, but their ambitions have been hindered by INEC’s strict adherence to the Labour Party’s constitution.

The committee, which was given a 90-day mandate to organize ward, local government, and state congresses, as well as a national convention, has yet to gain the necessary legal and institutional support to proceed with its objectives.

Labour Party National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, dismissed the caretaker committee’s legitimacy, describing its members as “destabilizing agents” attempting to disrupt the party’s operations.

Ifoh affirmed that the Labour Party remains intact under its current leadership and that any actions outside the party’s constitution would not be tolerated.

“Our party is governed by a constitution, and we will not allow outsiders to displace those who built this party. Some of these individuals have only been in the party for a short time, and they are already trying to position themselves for control. Their efforts are unconstitutional and will not be accepted,” Ifoh stated.

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