Edo Guber Poll: Akpata Says He Won’t Be Contesting Outcome
Labour Party governorship candidate in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, has decided not to contest the outcome of the September 21 election. Akpata, who finished third with 22,763 votes, trailed behind APC’s Monday Okpebholo, who won with 291,667 votes, and PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, who secured 247,274 votes. Despite raising concerns over irregularities and electoral malpractices, Akpata announced that he would not take the matter to the tribunal. His decision focuses on pursuing broader electoral reforms rather than challenging the specific results of the contest. “My decision not to contest the election results at the tribunal is not an indication of compromise; rather, it is a strategic move aimed at redirecting our energies towards systemic changes that our democracy desperately needs,” he said. “This moment calls for a paradigm shift in our approach to electoral reform. We cannot continue to operate within a system that incentivises manipulation and disenfranchisement.”
Edo election ‘sold to the highest bidder,’ says Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata
Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election, Mr. Olumide Akpata, has dismissed its outcome, describing it as a transaction where victory was awarded to the highest bidder. Akpata made the remarks following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to building a democracy that works for all, not just the highest bidder. We continue to envision an Edo State, and a Nigeria, where ideas triumph over Naira, where the collective will of the people shapes our future,” Akpata said. Akpata, who finished third in the election with 22,763 votes, expressed the need for comprehensive electoral reform. He advocated for technology to establish systems that make vote-buying impossible, emphasizing the importance of addressing the socio-economic conditions that drive citizens to sell their votes. “We must also address the root causes that make our people susceptible to vote-selling by creating economic opportunities, improving education, and building a society where citizens do not feel compelled to mortgage their future for immediate gains,” Akpata added. He lamented that the Edo election exposed the harsh reality that politics in the state, and across Nigeria, is often dominated by those with the deepest pockets and the most extensive networks of influence, rather than by ideologies or the will of the people. READ ALSO: http://Rivers APC to sanction Pro-Wike lawmakers for denying defection Condemning the widespread vote-buying, Akpata pointed to the long-term damage the practices have inflicted on Edo’s economy over the past 25 years, fostering an environment where democratic values are routinely undermined. He, however, said despite the election’s outcome, the Labour Party remains committed to upholding the sanctity of the ballot and ensuring that the people’s right to freely choose their leaders is preserved.
It is Okpebholo!
Like a painful delivery that comes after a protracted labour, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the controversial midwife, birthed Sen. Monday Okpebholo, late on Saturday as winner of the Edo State Governorship election. A serving senator of the Federal Republic and candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Okpebholo scored 291,667 to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 247,274 votes and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) who polled a total of 22,763 votes. This announcement was made late on Sunday by the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Faruk Adamu Kuta, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State following the collation of results in Benin City, Edo State. Nigerian Anchor reports that the Edo State Governorship election was held on Saturday, September 21, 2024 in 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs), and the APC candidate won in 11 LGAs, followed by the PDP candidate who won in 7LGAs. The outcome of the election is clustered below as follows: 1. IGUEBEN LGA Total Registered Voters 54,549 Total Accredited Voters 15,274 APC 5907 LP 494 PDP 8470 Total Valid Votes 14,989 Total Rejected Votes 278 Total Votes Cast 15,267 2. ESAN WEST LGA Total Registered Voters 113,067 Total Accredited Voters 25,702 APC 12,952 LP 342 PDP 11,004 Total Valid Votes 24,691 Total Rejected Votes 693 Total Votes Cast 25,384 3. OWAN WEST Total Registered Voters 67,076 Total Accredited Voters 24,311 APC 12,277 LP 201 PDP 11,284 Total Valid Votes 23,904 Total Rejected Votes 391 Total Votes Cast 24,295 4. UHUNMWONDE Total Registered Voters 92,169 Total Accredited Voters 20,044 APC 8776 LP 769 PDP 9339 Total Valid Votes 19223 Total Rejected Votes 553 Total Votes Cast 19776 5. OVIA NORTH-EAST Total Registered Voters 177,106 Total Accredited Voters 32,441 APC 13,225 LP 1,675 PDP 15,311 Total Valid Votes 30783 Total Rejected Votes 1312 Total Votes Cast 32095 6. ESAN SOUTH-EAST LGA Total Registered Voters 90,240 Total Accredited Voters 23,390 APC 8,398 LP 98 PDP 14,199 Total Valid Votes 22780 Total Rejected Votes 356 Total Votes Cast 23136 7. EGOR LGA Total Registered Voters 242,266 Total Accredited Voters 35,463 APC 16,760 LP 1,966 PDP 14,658 Total Valid Votes 34022 Total Rejected Votes 1018 Total Votes Cast 35040 8. AKOKO EDO LGA Total Registered Voters 144,379 Total Accredited Voters 54,395 APC 34847 LP 2239 PDP 15865 Total Valid Votes 53547 Total Rejected Votes 331 Total Votes Cast 53878 9. ESAN CENTRAL LGA Total Registered Voters 68,338 Total Accredited Voters 20,580 APC 10,990 LP 418 PDP 8,618 Total Valid Votes 20198 Total Rejected Votes 361 Total Votes Cast 20559 10. ESAN NORTH-EAST LGA Total Registered Voters 106,280 Total Accredited Voters 24,430 APC 10,648 LP 194 PDP 12,522 Total Valid Votes 23,637 Total Rejected Votes 674 Total Votes Cast 24,311 11. OVIA SOUTH-WEST LGA Total Registered Voters 112,091 Total Accredited Voters 23,196 APC 10,150 LP 849 PDP 10,260 Total Valid Votes 21710 Total Rejected Votes 1086 Total Votes Cast 22796 12. ORHIONMWON LGA Total Registered Voters 139,260 Total Accredited Voters 33,196 APC 16,059 LP 556 PDP 14,614 Total Valid Votes 31,559 Total Rejected Votes 1091 Total Votes Cast 32,650 13. OWAN EAST LGA Total Registered Voters 108,252 Total Accredited Voters 34,618 APC 19,380 LP 446 PDP 14,189 Total Valid Votes 34,157 Total Rejected Votes 420 Total Votes Cast 34,577 14. ETSAKO EAST LGA Total Registered Voters 102,754 Total Accredited Voters 35,084 APC 20,167 LP 604 PDP 9,683 Total Valid Votes 30926 Total Rejected Votes 435 Total Votes Cast 31361 READ ALSO: http://You Can’t set Bauchi on fire I Have enough water- Gov Bala Muhammad mocks Wike 15. ETSAKO CENTRAL LGA Total Registered Voters 59,430 Total Accredited Voters 21,465 APC 11,906 LP 381 PDP 8,455 Total Valid Votes 20,851 Total Rejected Votes 294 Total Votes Cast 21,145 16. ETSAKO WEST LGA Total Registered Voters 186,449 Total Accredited Voters 54,304 APC 32,107 LP 2116 PDP 17,483 Total Valid Votes 52,226 Total Rejected Votes 1,188 Total Votes Cast 53,414 17. OREDO LGA Total Registered Voters 356,242 Total Accredited Voters 64,802 APC 30,780 LP 5389 PDP 24,938 Total Valid Votes 62703 Total Rejected Votes 1339 Total Votes Cast 64042 READ ALSO: money-laundering-efcc-to-investigate-bank-executives 18. IKPOBA-OKHA LGA Total Registered Voters 392,782 Total Accredited Voters 61,437 APC 16338 LP 4026 PDP 26382 Total Valid Votes 48784 Total Rejected Votes 1455 Total Votes Cast 50239
#EdoDecides: Obaseki wins polling unit for PDP as Akpata loses polling unit to Ighodalo
Alot of upsets have emerged from the Edo Guber elections with results showing that the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, has won his polling unit in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The result from the polling unit, PU19, Ward 04, Oredo LGA, shows that PDP scored 127 votes, APC got 35, while Labour Party got 11 votes. In a related development, the Labour Party candidate in the election, Olumide Akpata, lost his polling unit to the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo. At Polling Unit 11, Ward 06 in Oredo Local Government Area, Ighodalo secured 41 votes, while Akpata followed with 32 votes. Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came in third with 19 votes.
Edo 2024 Guber Update: Voting Begins Amid Tight Security
The 2024 governorship election in Edo State has officially commenced, marked by a significant security presence and varying reports regarding the arrival of INEC officials and voter turnout across different polling units. INEC Officials Arrive Late at Some Polling Units At 7:43 a.m., INEC officials arrived at Unit 18, Oghede Ward 10, located at Oghede Secondary School on Ekenhuan Road in Egor Local Government Area. Despite the officials’ timely arrival, only a small number of voters were present at the polling unit. In stark contrast, by 8:39 a.m., Units 7 to 10 in Ward 1 at Ezoti Primary School, Oredo Local Government Area, reported a large turnout of voters. However, INEC officials had not yet arrived. Security operatives were on-site to maintain order and ensure the safety of the gathering electorate. Smooth Voting Process Amid Low Turnout By 8:51 a.m., voting commenced at Units 19 to 28, Ward 4, Emokpae Primary School in Oredo LGA, where the electoral process was proceeding smoothly. However, at Unit 41, Ward 4, located along Idahosa Lane on Mission Road, INEC officials were present but reported no voters at the polling unit. Staff expressed concerns regarding the absence of security personnel at this location. Reports from Unit 36, Ward 4 at Evbiemwen indicated that by 9:11 a.m., both INEC officials and security operatives were present, yet voters had not yet arrived. A similar situation was observed at Unit 32, Ward 4, on Ero Street, Wire Road in Oredo LGA, where voting was ongoing under the watchful eye of security personnel, although turnout remained modest. Continued Presence of Security Operatives By 9:30 a.m., INEC officials finally arrived at Unit 31, Ward 4, Azama Street on Wire Road in Oredo LGA. While security operatives maintained law and order throughout the polling units visited, voter turnout across these locations remained low. Across all polling units monitored, there was a heavy presence of security operatives both within and around the voting areas, ensuring that the election process proceeded in an orderly and peaceful manner as citizens exercised their democratic rights. There have also been few incidents of alleged vote buying by some party agents. As the day progresses, further updates on voter turnout and election proceedings are anticipated. Security Threats Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Asue Ighodalo has raised an alarm over security threats during the ongoing gubernatorial elections in Edo State. He alleged that the police had arrested a party member in Ward 8 Unit 3. “In Uromi unit 3, one of our supporters was arrested there about an hour ago by men in mufti carrying guns. Nobody should carry guns into a polling unit. That is against the law. But you just see people behaving indiscriminately, oppressing and trying to intimidate our folks,” he said.
Former NBA President, Akpata Clinches Edo LP Governorship Ticket
The Labour party in Edo State has announced a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Olumide Akpata, as the winner of the party’s primary election for the September 2024 governorship election in the State. Akpata scored 316 votes to clinch the party ticket at the exercise held at the Bishop Kelly Pastoral Centre, Airport Road in Benin City, Edo State capital on Friday. His victory comes months after he declared interest in the Edo State governorship race under the Labour Party. Akpata, had in October visited the Edo LP secretariat in Benin City to formally declare his interest in the governorship race, stating that his decision is influenced by his love for the people. “My interest is for the people of Edo State. And what I find out about politics and governance in Nigeria today is that the people have been taken out of the equation. Nobody cares about the people,” Akpata told the mammoth crowd that welcomed him.