RESULT UPDATE: Tension In PDP, APC As 97% Of Results On IReV Emerge; SEE Who Is Leading
The race for the governorship seat in Edo State is heating up as the results from Saturday’ s election continue to be uploaded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The two major contenders, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), are locked in a close contest, with early results showing each candidate leading in different parts of the state.
As of now, INEC has uploaded 97 percent of the results onto its Results Viewing (IReV) portal, and preliminary analysis suggests a tight race between the two candidates. According to reports, Okpebholo has secured a lead in the Edo North Senatorial District, while Ighodalo is leading in the Edo South Senatorial District.
Traditional Strongholds And Changing Dynamics
Edo State is divided into 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) spread across three senatorial districts: Edo North, Edo South, and Edo Central. Historically, the APC has dominated in Edo North, while the PDP has maintained strong support in Edo South and Edo Central. However, recent elections have shown shifting dynamics. In the last senatorial election, the APC secured a surprising victory in Edo Central, a region where the PDP has traditionally held sway.
In Esan South- East LGA, Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate, performed well at his polling unit in Ewohimi, Ward 1, Unit 11, where he garnered 200 votes. In contrast, his APC rival, Okpebholo, secured just 45 votes.
Collation Of Results Across The State
Esan Central LGA saw the APC pulling ahead with 8, 132 votes across 103 polling units, while the PDP garnered 6, 902 votes. In contrast, in Owan West LGA, Ighodalo led with 1, 979 votes from 24 polling units, while Okpebholo secured 2, 493 votes.
In Etsako East LGA, Okpebholo had a strong lead with 2, 421 votes from 13 polling units, compared to Ighodalo’ s 968 votes. In Esan West LGA, Okpebholo also led with 4, 105 votes, followed by Ighodalo’ s 3, 264 votes.
Awaiting Final Results
As of late Saturday evening, INEC had yet to commence final collation at its state headquarters in Benin, but early calculations indicate that the governorship race remains fiercely competitive. Both candidates have shown strong performances in different areas, and the final outcome is still uncertain as results from a few remaining polling units are awaited.
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The outcome of this election is being closely watched as it may signal shifts in the political landscape of Edo State, which has long been contested between the APC and PDP. With both candidates having significant backing in different parts of the state, the race could go down to the wire.
The people of Edo State now wait for INEC to complete the collation process and announce the final results to determine who will emerge as the next governor of the state.
