The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Godwin Obaseki, has been declared winner of the Edo State governorship election.
The APC candidate won majority of the votes cast, getting a total of 319,483 votes, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announced.
Mr. Obaseki’s closest challenger, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, got 253,173 votes.
Mr. Obaseki also won majority votes in 13 of the 18 local governments in the state, losing the remaining five to the PDP candidate.
The INEC chief returning officer in the state, Professor Kayode Soremekun, who announced the final results, declared Mr. Obaseki the governor-elect of the South-South state.
However, the PDP in the state has rejected the results describing it as adulterated.
“If you go by the results that were announced at the polling units and wards across the state, it shows the PDP would have won by over 30,000 votes,” said Dan Orbih, the party’s state chairman in a press conference.
“What INEC is announcing is clearly different from what we got from our agents and independent observers in the 192 wards and over 2,000 units across the state.”
“I cannot endorse it,” he told the INEC officials present. “You said I should get ready for court instead of looking at it here and now. I cannot be a party to that,” he said.
The agent of the Young Democratic Party also refused to sign the final result sheet.
“I have the mandate of the Young Democratic Party not to append my signature on this result sheet,” he said.
The PDP and Ize-Iyamu have faulted the outcome of the election.
They have vowed to contest it in the law courts.
The full results
1. Owan west
APC 12, 862
PDP 10, 132
2. EGOR
APC 26, 862
PDP 19, 514
3. ESAN NORTH EAST
APC 9, 130
PDP 16, 220
4. IGUEBEN
APC 7, 802
PDP 7,650
5. OHUNMWODE
APC 10, 911
PDP 8, 667
6. ESAN SOUTH EAST
APC 9, 554
PDP 11, 466
7. OREDO
APC 37, 612
PDP 30, 492
8. ORHIONMWON
APC. 15, 262
PDP. 16, 446
9. ESAN WEST
APC 13, 114
PDP 16, 311
10. OWAN EAST
APC: 21, 233
PDP: 12, 889
11. OVIA NORTH EAST
APC: 17,561
PDP: 13,141
12. ESAN CENTRAL
APC: 9,781
PDP: 10,180
13. ETSAKO EAST
APC 18, 078
PDP 12, 552
14. ETSAKO WEST
APC 29, 199
PDP 10, 843
15. IKPOBA OKHA
APC 33, 469
PDP 26, 096
16. AKOKO EDO
APC 24, 545
PDP 13, 027
17. ETSAKO CENTRAL
APC 10, 373
PDP 8, 827
18. OVIA SOUTH WEST
APC 12, 820
PDP 8, 810.
