The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Monday Okpebholo has taken the lead in the Edo State governorship election.
Okpebholo has over 48,000 more votes ahead of his closest rival Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Of the 16 local government area results declared so far at the INEC Collation Centre in Benin City on Sunday, Okpebholo who represents Edo Central in the Senate, has won 10. He has 244, 549 votes as against Ighodalo’s 195, 954.
The PDP candidate has won six of the local government councils declared so far. Labour Party (LP)’s Olumide Akpata is in a distant third with just 13, 346 votes.
After the declaration of results from the 16 local government areas, the INEC Collation Centre went on break. The Returning Officer for the election, Faruk Adamu Kuta, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, called for the recess around 2:19 pm.
He said the break is to allow for the arrival of results from two more local government areas. The centre will reopen by 5 pm when the winner of the governorship election is expected to be announced.
The collation centre opened some minutes before noon in Benin City, hours after the election took place in the South-South state.
Already, the PDP is protesting the results and had earlier held a press conference where it claimed the election was marked with irregularities. The briefing was organised by the party’s campaign organisation for the poll and led by Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State.
At the event, Ighodalo alleged that the exercise was marred with inconsistencies and fears the election may go down as the “worst” in the country’s history.