The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially confirmed Monday Okpebholo and Dennis Idahosa as the governor and deputy governor of Edo State by issuing them certificates of return. This milestone comes five days after they were declared winners of the poll [4).
Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, secured 291,667 votes, winning 11 out of 18 Local Government Areas. His closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), obtained 247,274 votes, winning seven LGAs, while Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata finished third with 22,761 votes.
Rhoda Gumus, INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Edo State, presented the certificates to Okpebholo and Idahosa on Thursday. This formalizes their victory in the tightly contested Edo governorship election.
Okpebholo will succeed Governor Godwin Obaseki, who will leave office on November 11 after completing two terms. Prof. Faruq Kuta, the Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, announced the election results at the INEC collation centre in Benin City.
